Shikamaru's Prank
by Kiel667
Summary: All the girls love Sasuke. They'd do anything to get his attention, but what happens if Ino and Sakura are somehow convinced Sasuke likes chubby girls?
1. Ino Learns

This is a fanfic of Naruto, which is the sole property of Masamichi Kishamoto, not myself. I'm just trying to have a little fun with his wonderful series ;;

The following fic is dedicated to Kirigakure, Kaori-Chan and all of my friends at the Konoha Village forums for all their support and kindness. I just hope I can make 'em laugh.

**Shikamaru's Prank (title pending)**

**By: Kiel**

**Part I**

It was a busy day like any other in the hidden village of Konoha. The local barbeque was no exception. Sweat gleamed on the faces of happy patrons from the smoke of the grills, the scent of cooked meat and barbecue sauce wafted through the air.

Seated at their usual booth, team Asuma enjoys a "light" meal after training. Their grill, filled to the edges with beef and salmon, is soon wiped clean by Akamichi Chouji.

"Chouji! You're eating all of _our_ food as well!" yelled Yamanaka Ino as Chouji picks the grill clean.

"If I wait, it'll burn" Chouji says with a full mouth. His jaw works feverishly to chew the large amount of cooked meat he'd stuffed into his mouth.

Asuma, the team's Jounin Sensei, sighs. "Chouji, you should slow down. If you eat that fast you'll make yourself sick" he says.

"Eating fast is what I do best. It doesn't matter how fast I eat, I can taste everything just fine!"

"Eugh…baka" Ino moans as Chouji loads up the grill again with the remaining raw meat.

Asuma sighs again and finishes the last few dregs of his beer. "I'm going to go pay. I guess that's it for today, we'll continue training tomorrow morning," He gets up to leave and gives a tired glance to Chouji.

"Oi, Chouji! You eat too much. You should put forth as much effort into training as you do in eating". With that, he left.

Swallowing, Chouji puts down his chopsticks. He knew Asuma was right, compared to Ino and especially Shikamaru; he did do the least and ate the most.

"Hmmph. Chouji…I guess you're lucky," Ino began. "No matter how much you eat, you don't have to worry. As for me, being on diets is a lot of work, you know?"

"Ino, why are you on a diet?" Chouji asked, puzzled.

"Because girls want to look _cute _to catch the attention of guys they like!"

"B-but they don't always like skinny people, right?"

"Well," Ino said, flustered. "Generally they…ugh! Guys like girls on the skinny side!

"…And the same goes for girls as well" she finished with a sneer, glancing at Chouji's bulging stomach.

Chouji's face fell. Ino knew she hadn't hurt his feelings as Chouji seemed to be immune to such criticism, but he did look a little more down than he had at the start of their meal.

Ino stood and prepared to leave. "See you two tomorrow". She walked off towards the exit, her bleach blonde ponytail bobbing behind her.

"Heh. She just doesn't get it".

Nara Shikamaru leaned forward. He was silent during the entire meal. He trained the hardest out of the three of them today and Chouji figured he was tired, so he didn't bother him. Shikamaru was one of Chouji's closest friends from childhood. The two of them graduated from ninja academy together.

He grinned as he watched Ino exit.

"Guys don't like skinny girls as much as girls think" He said. "There are a lot of guys who prefer their girls to be a bit chubby, y'know?"

Chouji smiled as he took another piece of meat off the grill with his chopsticks.

"For every girl like Ino," Shikamaru continued. "Dieting and worrying about their weight, there are girls twice her size"...

"You think?" Chouji asked curiously.

"I know. Plus, I figure Ino wouldn't look half bad if she put on a little weight, don't you think?" and with that he made a fat face by puffing out his cheeks.

Chouji laughed.

"Maybe, but Ino would never let herself go…she's too preoccupied with getting attention from Sasuke…" Chouji said, still chuckling.

Shikamaru leaned back and rested his hands behind his head.

"Well, he is the most popular with the girls…almost all of them, Ino included, decided to grow their hair long because there was a rumour that he liked girls with long hair…geez, talk about troublesome".

"It's like they'd do anything for him…" Chouji said with a sigh.

Then Chouji noticed a flicker in Shikamaru's eyes. Shikamaru grinned and began to chuckle.

"What? What's funny?" asked Chouji.

"I think I just got a brilliant idea. It could be troublesome, but if it works-" His sentence was cut short by a small fit of laughter.

Chouji couldn't help but be interested. Shikamaru rarely laughed.

"I've got a plan. Care to join in, Chouji?"

Chouji always liked Shikamaru's plans, mostly because they leaned towards brilliance more often than not. What did he have to lose? Certainly not lunch.

"Count me in!"

Ino strolled through Konoha's shopping district, a large paper bag in her hands. She had been asked to do shopping after training by her mother.

People bustled in and out of shops, yelling and haggling over prices of fish and silk. Ino recognised most of the shoppers instantly,

_But _he's _not around anywhere_ Ino thought.

She sighed glumly. Ever since the Chuunin exams ended she had been hoping to catch a glimpse of Uchiha Sasuke around town. She barely saw him anymore, not since he became part of Kakashi's team 7 with Haruno Sakura.

_Sakura, _she scowled at the girl she recognised as her eternal rival. Both she and Sakura had been friends until they realized one important thing they had in common:

A love for Uchiha Sasuke.

Now, Sakura could be around him all she wanted since they were on the same team. She cursed her luck. Ino often wondered why Sasuke hadn't been more attracted to her after the exams. She had grown back more of her hair than Sakura, she had lost more weight than Sakura, and, of course, her forehead was _far _smaller than Sakura's.

She trudged past more shoppers and began to daydream.

_If only I could meet Sasuke here, now, and show him what a superior woman I've become compared to Sakura-nisan, _she thought.

Ino looked up to the street in front of her to see none other than the Uchiha himself.

Ino shook her head to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Sure enough, there he was, dressed in his blue Uchiha clan shirt and white shorts, his dark blue hair pulled back by his head protector, his soulfully deep eyes gazing forward…

"Is…is he looking at me?" She said under her breath.

He was looking right at her!

Ino waved.

Sasuke waved back and smiled.

_Eeeeahhhh! He's smiling at me! _Ino could barely fight back the urge to blush.

"Sasuke! What a surprise meeting you here!" She said as she skipped towards him.

"Yeah, you too," He said, continuing to smile "It's been a while".

_Dreams _do _come true! _ She thought. She pulled out the ribbon that held her hair up and let it flow done seductively.

"I _really _missed seeing you. Notice anything different about me?"

Sasuke looked her up and down.

"H-have you lost weight?" He asked.

Ino couldn't believe it. He actually noticed! She felt positively energized. All her hard work was finally paying off!

"I have! I was slimming down so that I could look more-"

"I don't like it"

Ino stopped. Sasuke had said something. Maybe she hadn't heard him right.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

Sasuke's expression changed. He gave Ino a passive gaze.

"I said I don't like it, you losing weight I mean"

"Uh, it's alright Sasuke-kun; you don't need to worry about my health. I'm not sickly or anything like that. I get all the proper nutrition I need".

"That's not what I meant"

"Eh?" Ino said, her face twitching slightly. Was she hearing him right?

"I-I don't understand…"

Sasuke shifted his stance to look towards the sky.

"I'm saying I don't like the way you look".

Ino's face fell. It just couldn't be possible! All her hard work at dieting…and now he says he doesn't like how she looks?!

"What do you mean?! I'm thin aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are," Sasuke said. "but, to be honest…I kind of like girls more…on the chubby side".

If Ino had imagined a response from Sasuke, that sure wasn't it. Her throat felt dry, she felt a little weak.

"ch-ch-ch-chubby?!" she said incredulously. "Are you saying you like girls who are _fat?!_"

Sasuke smiled. He nodded, turned, and began to walk away, leaving a stupefied Ino behind.

"Oh," He said as he left. "I think you might look better if you gained a bit of weight…Ja ne".

Ino dropped her bag and fell to her knees.

_No way! _She thought, _all this time, Sasuke liked…chubby girls?!_

Sasuke turned a corner, and then quickly leapt onto the roof of a building. He began jumping from building to building until he was quite far away. Once he stopped, he checked behind his shoulder, then his surroundings, making sure he wasn't followed.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned to face Chouji, who was sitting not too far away, shoving fistfuls of potato chips into his mouth.

"So, how'd it go?" Chouji asked with his mouth full.

Sasuke smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Not too troublesome I suppose".

With that, Sasuke exploded into a cloud of smoke, revealing Shikamaru!

"So…how about the _real _Sasuke?" Chouji asked.

"Out of the country training with Kakashi. Naruto told me this morning. It's a secret, so I think we three are the only Genins who know".

"So there's no chance she'll find out you used Henge no jutsu to fool her, is there?"

"I don't think so, no".

"Alright. Did she take the bait?"

Shikamaru sighed and sat down beside his friend.

"I dunno, maybe. We'll see by tomorrow I suppose".

"Okay," Chouji said as he took another handful. "This could shape up to be the greatest prank that's ever been pulled in Konoha".

Ino found herself on a bench beside a few shops. Her grocery bag beside her with her head down low, a look of confusion and grief on her face.

She thought about what Sasuke had told her. She couldn't help but feel she'd wasted a big part of her life.

"He doesn't like thin girls…all that dieting for nothing." She muttered.

"Now he'll never like me…I'm hopeless".

Ino felt lower than she had felt in quite a while, not even the smell of baking could cheer her up.

Ino raised her head and sniffed the air, a delicious smell wafted around where she was sitting. The inviting scent cheered her up.

"What is that? It smells so good", she picked up her back and followed her nose to the source of the smell.

The bench she had been sitting on was right next door to a bakery.

Ino glanced into the front window and was in awe of the variety of baked goods she saw: freshly baked sweet rolls with red bean paste, layered cakes with thick icing, and sheets of delicious looking cookies.

"Sugoi! Everything looks so good".

Ino's stomach growled, having missed out on most of the meat at lunch, she was famished. Her diet hadn't left her in a very good state.

_Not that it'll help me now _she thought, remembering.

She might as well get something; her diet was pretty much over.

Then it hit her.

She'd been trying to catch Sasuke's eye for years, and now she finally knew something he liked. Long hair aside, this was something he had _told _her he liked.

And to top it all off, Sakura doesn't know!

A devilish grin spread across Ino's face. She wasn't down and out, far from it! She was the only girl that knew Sasuke's secret and damned if she wouldn't take advantage of it!

"If being thin won't get his attention, I'll just have to go the other way!"

She checked her pouch and fished out a small wad of bills.

575 Ryou, the change from shopping.

_Not bad, it'll get me started._

Ino walked into the bakery, right up to the front counter. The baker greeted her friendly:

"Welcome. How can I help you today?"

Ino slapped the bills on the counter.

"I'd like a dozen sweet rolls, two dozen cookies, and…a layer cake, onegai!"

The baker smiled warmly.

"My, is that all for _you, _young lady?"

Ino grinned.

"Yes, yes it is".

0o 0o 0o


	2. Ino Gains

**Part II**

Haruno Sakura awoke early, just as the sun began to rise. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looks out her window to see the sun rising over the buildings below.

"I don't have to get up…no missions today…" She mused.

The idea of sleeping in sounded wonderful to her, a chance to catch up on much needed sleep. Missions had run long over the last few months. Increasing in both length and difficulty, team 7 had received four D rank, seven C rank and two minor B rank missions.

"No missions today…can relax" She thought dreamily. Her thoughts turned to Sasuke.

If anyone could be more tired than her, it would be Sasuke. Even through all of their work, Sasuke fought the hardest and achieved the most. Even Naruto, who seemed _much _more on the ball than before, hadn't done as much as the Uchiha had.

Maybe this was her chance to let _him _relax.

"Yeah, I should get up and see him, maybe bring him breakfast" She said cheerfully to herself.

Sakura pulled her head away from her soft pillow with resolve. Let Sasuke relax, she'd take care of him. Dressing quickly, she wished her parents goodbye and headed off into the early morning sun.

Walking down the peaceful, empty streets, Sakura headed towards the grocery to buy breakfast for Sasuke. Her blue sandals crunched against the hard dirt road. She wondered what she could get Sasuke to eat that he'd enjoy; he didn't seem to enjoy a whole lot in terms of food.

_I can't get him dumplings or dango, he doesn't like sweet things. Maybe some natto…no, he said he doesn't like that either _she thought. It was frustrating trying to find something for someone who disliked so many things. _Fruit maybe? _She continued.

It seemed odd to her that she couldn't even decide on a food when it seemed like she was the one who knew Sasuke best. The only people who knew him as closely were Kakashi sensei and-

_Naruto!_

Sakura remembered that Ichiraku ramen was on the way to the grocer, and while she didn't like relying on Naruto for something like information, it couldn't hurt to ask.

_And he's always at Ichiraku for breakfast in the morning. Lucky._

Sakura increased her pace.

If she stopped to talk to Naruto, it might slow her down, as he would most likely ask her to go on a date with him.

Sakura approached the Ichiraku ramen stand. She was out of breath from running. She made her way to the enclosed bar, expecting to see (and hear) Naruto eating a second helping of tokontsu ramen.

But to her surprise, he was absent.

The old man who owned the stand moved up to the counter. His white hat with the red "Ichiraku" kanji stood pristinely on his cropped grey hair.

"Ohiyogozaimas! How can I help you miss?" He said, his voice full of vigour and energy.

"Ohiyo. I'm just wondering, shouldn't Naruto be here by now? You know, the blonde kid the stupid face?" She asked, inwardly cringing at her description of Naruto.

"Oh! My best customer! You're right, he should be here by now…" The ramen man said, looking into the distance for his primary source of income.

"Oh, sorry to have bothered you then, ja ne" Sakura said, beginning to leave.

"Wait! Why don't you have a bowl first? Makes a great breakfast, best thing for first thing in the morning for shin obi, ramen is!" The man said, brandishing his ladle.

Sakura groaned. Every moment spent here was time wasted with Sasuke. She had to _go!_

"I'm sorry sir, maybe another ti-"

"C'mon Sakura, it's good!" a voice said.

Sakura turned to see someone at the end of the counter, huddled over a steamy bowl of noodles. The person's voice sounded familiar.

"Oh ho ho, I see you too know each other. She's right you know…Sakura, was it? Our ramen is the finest in the village!" The man said eagerly.

The person in the corner slurped up the last morsel of noodles and let out a satisfied belch. Sakura took a seat on an empty stool to get a better look.

"Phew, Gozaiusama. That was delicious. I think I'll have another bowl".

Sakura could believe her eyes.

"Ino?!" she gasped.

Ino turned on her stool to face Sakura. Sakura couldn't believe how different she looked. It was quite obvious that she had put on a fair bit of weight, but it was still astonishing. Ino's normally thin face seemed much fuller, her chest more noticeable, her purple, sleeveless shirt, which was normally slack, now seemed tightly pressed against her stomach.

She had practically ballooned up overnight!

"Hm? What's wrong?" Ino asked, her face looking confused.

Slack jawed, Sakura felt at a loss for words.

"Y-you're…you're…" She stuttered.

"I'm what?" Ino asked coyly.

Normally blessed with candour and a sense of attention to detail, Sakura was usually one of the most politically correct Genins around.

Unfortunately, this day isn't normal.

"You're fat!" She blurted out. Sakura was in a state of shock at Ino's appearance.

Ino didn't even look phased at Sakura's reaction. She touched her chin.

"Hmm…" She said, looking down and pressing her palm on her larger belly. "I think you're right".

"But, h-how? Why? Your diet was going so well!" Sakura knew this only too well, as Ino took every opportunity to remind her.

"hmmmm…" Ino said slyly, her expression changing to a devilish grin. "What, are you jealous?"

"W-what?! Why?!" Sakura shouted in disgust. Why would she be jealous of gaining so much weight?

"Hmph, I guess Sasuke will pick me after all" Ino said.

Sakura choked, trying to fight back a snicker.

"Why would anyone in their right mind, _especially _Sasuke-kun, pick you know that you look…like this?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't know" Ino sneered.

_She's toying with me…she's gone nuts!_

"I don't have time for this, I've got to go get breakfast for Sasuke-kun" Sakura turned on her heel, ready to leave.

"I met him last night," Ino chanted, "just the two of us. He told me his secret!"

Sakura froze.

_A secret? _

Ino was lying, she had to be. _Why would Sasuke-kun keep something from me?_

"He told me; he told me why he never showed any interest in _you_,"

"Here you go! Enjoy" The ramen man said as he laid another steamy bowl of ramen in front of Ino, which she began to dig into.

"Or _me, _or any of the other girls," She said, her mouth full. "turns out, Sasuke likes girls who are heavier than most".

Sakura's eyes widened. She turned to face Ino.

"He likes chubby girls" Ino giggled.

Sakura couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true!

_But then why is Ino like this? She wouldn't do all this if there wasn't a real reason _a voice in the back of her mind chimed.

"Since, he told me, I've been eating" Ino said in a low voice as she drained her bowl, "I've decided that I'll do anything to win over Sasuke, even if it means overeating and being…plump.

"And now, I'm closer to getting him that you are. Do you think he'll look at your, scrawny body with the same eyes as me? Hardly!"

Ino finished by sticking out her tongue.

Sakura couldn't take it. She turned and ran away.

Images flashed through her head as she got farther away. Images of Sasuke favouring Ino over her. It had always been a fear of hers that Ino would win over Sasuke. Ever since they had become rivals.

Once she had been placed on team 7 with him though, the fears subsided. She was constantly with him, able to learn more about him, find out his interests, his turn ons…

But now, Ino had discovered something Sakura hadn't even imagined before.

_Did Sasuke _really _like his girls…chubby?_

If he did, it meant Sakura's advantage over her meant nothing anymore. Now Ino stood a better chance of attracting Sasuke!

Sakura realized she'd past the grocery store. She had run all the way to the Hokage monument…all the way across town.

Sakura knew she loved Sasuke, more than anything else.

_And if that means changing the way I look, so be it!_

_If that means gaining weight, so be it!_

_I'll stuff myself 'til I burst to win Sasuke-kun over!_

Sakura felt full of determination.

She knew that it would take more than just binging on ramen like Ino to really win. Sakura was one the brightest Genin rookies and she knew it. She knew she'd need some kind of help.

And she knew just where to get it.

Tsunade idly stacked shogi pieces on top of each other in the confines of her office. Her long, blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, her green robes pressed and elegant, Tsunade appeared every bit as elegant and official as the title of Hokage that she possessed.

Acting like a proper Hokage was a different matter.

She had come to discover that being the Godaime wasn't as exciting as it had been when she took the title. Paperwork and glad-handing were her main priorities now, which left a lot of room for waiting and boredom. She stacked another shogi tile onto an ever-growing tower.

The shogi set had been Sarutobi-sensei's before he died. It was given to her as a gift in his passing. Tsunade remembered the old days when Sarutobi had taught them how to play the game. A test of strategy and advanced thinking, shogi was supposed to be a training technique to sharpen their minds.

Of course, Tsunade had been horrible at it. She could never concentrate enough to beat her teammate Orochimaru, who was infinitely better at the game.

Now, the board lay discarded and the remaining pieces were used as a relief of boredom, stacking them to make a tower during another slow part of an even slower day.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, which caused Tsunade to knock over the small stack of tiles. They clattered onto the floor in a mess.

"Who is it?" Tsunade grumbled.

"Kotetsu, Hokage-sama" a voice replied.

Kotetsu was one of Tsunade's assistants. He was also one of the chosen Chuunin examination proctors.

_He's also a pain who likes to add to my misery by giving me reports for filing _Tsunade thought.

"I'm busy at the moment!" Tsunade replied, staring at the shogi tiles strewn across the floor.

"But Hokage-sama, you have a visitor"

Tsunade didn't remember having any visitors on her agenda for today, not that she checked the daily agenda with any regularity.

She sighed.

"Alright, come in".

Kotetsu entered. He wore a grey uniform and a long bandage around his nose and face.

"Hokage-sama, there's a Genin who wishes to speak with you. She said it has very important" Kotetsu announced.

"I'm quite busy right now as you…can…see" Tsunade began, but seeing Kotetsu look at the floor, she decided not to press her luck. Kotetsu was meticulous for keeping her busy with important or trivial matters, as well as making sure she wasn't slacking off.

Tsunade sighed again.

"Who is it?"

Kotetsu moved to the side to reveal a young woman with pink hair, wearing a red dress. The girl approached Tsunade's desk hesitantly.

"Kotetsu, you may leave us now" Tsunade motioned for him to leave.

"Of course", Kotetsu bowed and made his exit.

Tsunade took a deep breath and smiled.

"Alright, now, tell me your name"

"Oh, My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura maim" She responded nervously.

"Ah, Sakura, from Kakashi's team 7. I've heard a lot about you. You graduated top of your class at ninja academy if I'm not mistaken"

"No, I mean yes! Yes, I did graduate top of my class, no, you weren't mistaken" Sakura stumbled.

"Calm down, there's no need to be nervous Sakura. I hope Kotetsu didn't frighten you into thinking this would be terribly formal. You can take it easy" Tsunade said.

With that, Sakura posture became more relaxed. She sat down in a chair facing Tsunade's desk.

"Now, tell me why you've come. What is so important?" Tsunade asked with a polite smile.

"Well, You see Hokage-sama-"

"Tsunade"

"What?"

"Call me Tsunade, there's no need for formalities right now"

"Alright, you see _Tsunade, _I've come to you…because I have a request"

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. It was rare of even Jounins to request something of her. Something about seemed impolite to many.

"What is it that you need badly enough that you had to come to me?"

Sakura fidgeted in her chair. "You see, I need to learn a certain jutsu".

_It figures _Tsunade thought.

"Sakura, if it's a technique that none of your Jounin sensei's would or could teach you, then there's probably a good reason for their decision" Tsunade said.

Sakura face didn't change. "It's not a forbidden jutsu, nor would it be something my teachers would be against…It's just…you're the only person in the village who knows it"

This piqued Tsunade's interest.

"A jutsu that only I know? What makes you say that?"

"Well, I don't know if you're the _only _ninja who knows it, I just know that you use it"

Tsunade felt confused. It was obvious Sakura was uncomfortable, but why?

"Why don't you tell me what the technique is, then I can tell you about it" Tsunade said.

"Well, you see, I don't know the name of it…I only know you use it" Sakura mumbled.

Tsunade felt irritation. "Describe it then, tell me how I use it, I don't understand what you're trying to get at Sakura".

Sakura paused. She took a deep breath, and began:

"Alright, there's a boy that I…really like. That I love. And I want to be able to get his attention. Not only that, but I'm not alone. I'm competing with another girl for him.

"I've just recently discovered what he looks for in a girl. Y'know, something that…turns his crank…and, well, it turns out he likes girls who are chubby. My rival, that is, the girl I'm competing against found out first. She's spent all night stuffing herself, making herself look fat. She's far ahead of me, and now I'm worried she may get to him first!" Sakura had worked herself up; tears were forming in her eyes.

She continued: "But I know that there's a faster and better way to go about…doing this. I know that _you _know a technique that can help me".

Tsunade bit her lip. If she was expecting an answer, that certainly wasn't it. She tried to think straight and put things in order.

_Trying to get a boy to like her…liking chubby girls…and she wants _MY _help?!_

Tsunade cleared her throat.

"I-I'm not sure why you think I could help you, or why you'd believe I know a technique that could do…that" Tsunade said apprehensively.

Sakura gave a weak smile.

"Tsunade-sama, I _know_ you know that technique"

Tsunade felt her mouth run dry. _What's she getting at?! _She wondered.

"I don't mean to be rude Tsunade-sama, but it's your breasts".

"W-what…do you mean?" Tsunade asked in a shocked whisper. She slowly rised from her chair, her eyes piercing every inch of Haruno Sakura.

Sakura, however, was not shaken. In fact, her smile _grew!_

"Tsunade-sama, Naruto told me that you use some kind of jutsu to change your appearance. He said that you were able to adjust your physical appearance so that you can look like you do now. After all, if Jiraiya-sama is over 50 than so must you.

"More importantly, if you have the body of a twenty year old, than everything else must be in…proportion as well, and guessing by your height, weight, and body mass, well…memories of your size couldn't be…well, possible. So there _must _be a technique that can do that. One that you could teach me!".

With that said, Sakura finished.

Tsunade slumped back down in her chair. A bead of sweat began to form on her brow. As her eyes changed with her expression, the bead slid down the side of her face. A look of concentration took shape on the Hokage's features.

"So…" She began, "you want me to teach you _that _jutsu…hmmm?"

Sakura became quite serious.

"Yes. I beg you!" Sakura stood, her arms outstretched in a praying position.

_She really seems serious about this, not some half-baked idea…_Tsunade thought. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes.

"It's not something I can really teach you, far too complicated for the genie level. It's more of an administrative technique, something that is applied" Tsunade murmured, her eyes remaining closed.

"Then I'll find someone to _apply _it! I'm not going to give up" Sakura said with determination.

Tsunade smiled.

"Who's the boy?"

"Eh?"

"The boy. The one you're willing to do all this for. What's his name?"

Sakura hesitated, "…Sasuke…Uchiha Sasuke" she replied at last.

_Ah, that explains it _Tsunade thought.

She opened her eyes.

"It's not a simple technique. It'll take at least two, maybe three hours to complete. There's also risk. While the chance of success is high, there's always the chance it may fail…which would be very unpleasant".

"Does this mean?" Sakura asked hopefully.

Tsunade's eyes glowed with matched determination.

"I'll do it on one condition"

"Anything, Tsunade-sama"

"If the technique is a success, you must promise to keep what you know about my…_assets_, a complete secret. Understand?"

"Of course!" Sakura replied.

"Then," Tsunade said. "let's get started".

0o 0o 0o


	3. Sakura Experiments

Part III 

Yamanaka Ino sat against a tree in the higher planes of the Leaf village, enjoying the midday sun. A crumpled bag of potato chips lay beside her, as well as wrappings from a package of mochi, an empty dumpling container and a crushed can of green tea. Ino patted her now large stomach.

_Quite a good lunch, _Ino thought. _I think I'm finally full._

Ino did feel quite full. She had eaten all of what she had bought at the bakery the night before, as well as supper made from the groceries she'd bought. After a full breakfast of ramen this morning, Ino had snacked constantly, until finally stopping to rest for lunch.

Of course, all this eating had started to take effect.

Ino's stomach now bulged out, pressing tightly against her clothes. Parts of her pants had begun to rip from her expanding hips.

Ino stretched out along the roots of the tree, feeling drowsy. All that eating had made her sleepy. She felt her engorged belly and smiled. It felt smooth and warm.

_There's no way Sasuke will look at me the same way now_.

Ino began to fall blissfully into sleep, the warm glow of the sun creating a cozy feeling. A little nap couldn't hurt.

_Urk!_

The pain came quickly, lurching from the pit of her stomach, slowly spreading through her entire chest. All of Ino's indulgence came back to haunt her.

"Oohh! What's wrong with me?" Ino gasped, clutching her stomach. Her belly began to gurgle, sending pains across her abdomen. Ino felt her throat tighten, he gag reflex take effect.

"Uck, no" Ino gasped, fighting the urge to be sick.

Ino breathed slowly, taking in deep breaths.

The sudden pain began to subside.

Ino rubbed her tummy, trying to ease the pain. Her breaths coming out more easily, returning to normal. She sighed as she felt the nausea pass.

As quickly as the pain had come, it was gone.

Ino looked sickeningly at the empty remains and wrappers of her last binge; pangs of doubt began to stab almost as hard as her stomach pains had.

_Is this really worth it? _she thought.

_Will this really help me?_

Ino shook her head, remembering her meeting with Sasuke. How he told his secret. It was _meant _to be.

Feeling better, Ino slowly stood up, gathered up her garbage, and began to waddle back into town.

_If Sasuke could see me now, _Ino thought happily as she made her way along the path home.

Across town, Shikamaru and Chouji walked through the residential section, idly making their way down to where Shikamaru liked to watch the clouds. Cloud watching had become a favourite pastime between the two friends. Memories of entire afternoons wasted away gazing at the sky came back to them fondly.

However, today's cloud watching time had a more serious importance.

Shikamaru whispered something in Chouji's ear as they walked down the suburban path, which made Chouji laugh out loud.

"She's _how _big?" Chouji snorted with laughter.

"_Really _big," Shikamaru replied. "I saw her earlier today. She took the bait hook, line and sinker. I heard she spent all night eating, trying to gain enough weight to look fat".

"Really?" Chouji asked, his chuckles subsiding. "Binge eating won't make you fat, y'know? You need a constant diet of carbohydrates to increase body mass. Too bad Ino never listens to me, eh?"

"Yeah…" Shikamaru said. His joyful expression slowly fading, being replaced by one of concern.

"What's wrong?" Chouji asked his friend.

"Hmm? Nothing…"

"You worried about Sasuke getting back soon?"

"Naw, not really. I'm just wondering…how far should we let this prank go on?"

Chouji's face fell. He hadn't really considered or thought about an outcome of the prank other than Ino falling for their trick.

Shikamaru continued: "I mean, we got her to humiliate herself, that's pretty self evident, but what now? If she keeps eating like this, could it hurt her?"

Chouji shrugged.

"Probably not. Binging isn't good for you, but it's not exactly harmful. If she continues to eat like you say she's doing, her body will reject the food and she'll start having bad reactions to excess eating. The body's pretty resilient; it can take almost anything you throw at it and turn out okay". Chouji finished by smiling at Shikamaru, reassuring him.

They reached their favourite spot. Both friends took a seat on a nearby bench and laid back. Shikamaru folded his hands behind his head.

"In that case, we should keep it going," he said.

Chouji moved a bit, getting a better look at Shikamaru's face, trying to see what he was thinking.

"We could simply…prod her along again. It'll get weird if she doesn't see Sasuke around again anyway" Shikamaru said, a grin on his face.

"But, we can't get _too _carried away, I guess. Things might get troublesome if we do" He finished.

Chouji just relaxed in the shade, staring at the cloudy sky. Thinking that the next little while could get very interesting.

"Hmmm…you're right"

"Yeah".

"Oh, that cloud looks like a kitty cat".

Kotetsu brought the supplies Tsunade requested to the entrance of the stadium. He wondered why she needed such bizarre items, and what she was planning on doing in the stadium. Did it have something to do with her visitor?

Tsunade said she was going to the stadium used for the Chuunin exam to fulfill a promise. She was using a small area that was normally used for sealing ceremonies; the last time it had been used was supposedly when Hayete Kakashi had sealed the curse seal on the Uchiha boy. This was just a rumour he had heard though.

He entered the dark room where he found Tsunade waiting.

"Hokage-sama, I have everything you requested" Kotetsu said quickly as he dumped the heavy bag onto the ground.

"Excellent. That will be all" She responded.

"Are you sure? What are you planning on-"

"I _said_ that will be all" She said, looking sternly at her assistant.

"O-of course, Hokage-sama"

Kotetsu turned and left in a hurry.

Whatever she was planning on doing, he sure wasn't going to get to see it.

Sakura saw Tsunade shoo away the Chuunin that had brought her before Tsunade earlier. Tsunade turned to face her, a large paper bag clutched in her hands.

The surroundings Sakura found herself in seemed a little macabre. It was almost pitch black all around her except for some light from an opening in the ceiling. Large, stone pillars seemed to surround her. The air seemed damp and cold on her skin, leaving a feeling of discomfort.

"Alright, are we ready?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes" Sakura replied.

Tsunade flicked her hands in a series of hand seals too quick for Sakura to follow. Suddenly the room was awash with light as a ring of candles appeared beside her. Inside the fiery circle was a stone alter, big enough to be a table.

"Alright, get undressed" Tsunade said casually.

"What?!"

"This technique will require you to be partially undressed, as contact to bare skin will be needed".

Sakura felt her face get hot. Tsunade hadn't said anything about this part before. The thought of undressing in a dark, damp room didn't seem very appealing.

"Y-you want me to get naked?!"

Tsunade faltered. Her face became almost as red as Sakura's. "Not at all! W-what I mean is I want you to take off _some _of your clothes so that I'm able work. Taking off just your dress will be fine!"

Sakura sighed. She began to get undressed, unzipping the back of her red dress. Underneath, Sakura wore nothing but an undershirt, bra and her panties. Her face flushed as she saw Tsunade standing plainly in view as she disrobed.

"Could I have a little privacy?!" Sakura shouted.

Tsunade snapped back to attention.

"Oh! Right, gomen-ne Sakura-kun" Tsunade said embarrassed, turning her back quickly.

Sakura finished undressing. She folded her dress in front of her, using it to block her underpants from plain view. The feeling of warmth left her face as she shivered from the chill in the room.

_Great, _Sakura thought to herself. _Half naked in a freezing cold room, how could this get any worse?_

"Okay Sakura-kun, I'm going to need you to lie on the stone slab there" Tsunade motioned towards the alter.

Although apprehensive, Sakura did as she was told. She climbed up and lay on her back on the stone alter.

The stone of the slab was smooth and cold against her bare flesh, sending a shiver up Sakura's spine. The glow of the candles seemed less intense as she stared upwards into the blackness of the empty ceiling.

"Okay, don't move.

"Ninpou: rope tying no jutsu!" Tsunade said in a deeper voice.

Suddenly, Sakura found she couldn't move. Her hands and feet seemed stuck. She tilted her head to get a better view, and discovered her hands, feet and legs were bound with rope. She couldn't move!

"Tsunade?! What are you doing?" She said in a panicked tone.

"Calm down. The ropes are necessary. This jutsu will put your body through a series of rapid changes. For those who haven't experienced it before, it is startling, and I need you to stay very still for it to work. The ropes are a precaution, for your own sake".

Tsunade then opened the bag.

Sakura couldn't see what she was taking out. Her body held tight by the ropes.

"Tsunade, what's in-"

But Tsunade had already come around with her arms full, ready to show Sakura what Kotetsu had brought. She began to tick the items off one by one.

"This," placing a small black jar and ink brush beside Sakura, "is my medium. The technique doesn't work with seals alone. First, an invisible marking must be made on your body. This ink will be applied to certain points on your body. The ink, along with the seals will focus my chakra directly to these points, the exact spot where…well, where _it _happens".

"What do you mean? What exactly are you going to do?" Sakura asked.

"I'll explain as we proceed" Tsunade said as she continued to empty the bag. She held the last two items in front of Sakura.

A large box of mochi and an onigiri.

"What are those for?" Sakura asked once again.

"The mochi are another part of the technique. Because we'll be working with a larger area of your body, more carbohydrates and calories will be needed for your body to adjust and handle the technique. It's basically to ensure a greater chance of success, like the ink," Tsunade said.

"What about the onigiri?"

Tsunade blushed. "Oh, it's for me. I just got hungry, so I asked Kotetsu to get me a snack" she said as she took a big bite of the rice ball, filling dripping down her cheek.

Tsunade wiped her mouth off and polished off the onigiri. She then rolled up her sleeves. "Alright, let's get started".

Tsunade grasped Sakura by her shoulders and pulled her along the stone slab. Wiggling under the ropes, Sakura slid so that the slab no longer supported her head. She craned her neck to keep it on the same level as her body. Tsunade moved out of Sakura's view, returning with a small stool, which she rested under Sakura's head.

"Can you move your neck around?"

"I think so".

"Alright, then I'll explain:

"This jutsu is going to increase the amount of phospholipids produced in your body. Phospholipids are the cellular building blocks for fat. Once I've increased your phospholipid count, I can proceed with the second stage of the jutsu. Do you understand so far?"

"I think so. How are you going to do it?"

"You'll see, just try not to fidget. I'll explain the next steps as we come to them".

With that, Tsunade clapped her hand together in a tiger seal. Her index and middle fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Sakura saw Tsunade concentrate, her brow furrowed as she summoned forth chakra. Soon, Tsunade's hands began to glow with a tinge of blue light. She undid the seal and parted her glowing hands, turning them to Sakura.

Tsunade reached down and placed her glowing hands on Sakura's uncovered stomach. Sakura began to recoil, thinking her hands would feel cold to the touch.

However, they weren't.

Tsunade's hands felt pleasantly warm against Sakura's skin. A slight tingle made its way through Sakura's body, making her twitch. It didn't hurt, but like Tsunade had said, it did feel weird.

Moments passed as Tsunade laid her hands across Sakura's stomach. Soon, the glow faded and she removed her hands.

"Alright, first part's done. Sakura-kun, how do you feel?"

Sakura turned her head.

"All right. A little weird, but fine".

"Good, let's start the next part," Tsunade said. She reached for the ink bottle and brush. She unscrewed the lid and wet the brush.

"The next part's a bit trickier, so it requires the most preparation. I'm going to create a seal on your body to focus the chakra into for this step. You'll have to excuse me if it tickles a bit" Tsunade said with a smile. She lowered the brush and began to move it across Sakura's belly. Brush strokes formed the shape of a swirl, followed by a series of markings and kanji.

"Alright, the seal is complete. Now comes your part" Tsunade said, lifting the box of mochi. "I'm gonna' need you to eat these".

Sakura's eyes widened.

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them"

Sakura swallowed hard. Sakura had seen the same package in stores. It had almost _two dozen _mochi inside it.

"But, how can I, if…" Sakura tried moving one of her hands.

"Don't worry, I'll feed you. You just need to tell me when to stop. Hope your hungry," Tsunade said as she opened the package.

Sakura sighed; she knew it would be difficult to do something like this.

"Okay, I'm ready" she said.

"Good. Open wide".

Shikamaru ran down the streets of Konoha, passing shops, apartments and the ninja academy along the way. His path lead him over a small bridge over a little river. He glanced at his reflection as he ran over.

But it wasn't his own body he saw in the water,

It was Uchiha Sasuke's!

"Feh, you'd figure with all the weight she's gained she wouldn't be able to move around as much. Where _are _you, Ino?" He thought aloud.

Past the bridge, Shikamaru came to a clearing lined by trees. It was the start of the woods that surrounded Konoha. It meant he was at the outskirts of the village.

"Looks like I've missed you again…guess I'll try her house again"-

A voice called out from the distance.

"Sasuke! Over here!"

Shikamaru turned around to see Ino bounding towards him from the distance. He quickly changed his posture, trying to look more like Sasuke would. Ino slowly made her way towards him.

"Sasuke! Fancy m-meeting you out h-here" Ino panted. She was clearly out of breath from running.

"Yeah, what a coincidence…" Shikamaru said slowly, taking the sight of Ino's body in. It was almost like she had changed completely overnight. "Wow, you sure look…different. What happened?" He added.

Ino struck a pose. "Hee hee, do you like it? I decided a style change was in order".

Shikamaru stumbled. He bit his lip. He had an overwhelming urge to just stare and laugh, but he couldn't do that.

"You look great…" he forced himself to smile. "…I think…it's a real improvement from before".

Ino positively glowed.

"Really? That's wonderful Sasuke-kun! Oh!"

Ino leaped onto Shikamaru in a big hug.

This was something Shikamaru wasn't at all prepared for.

When it came to women, Nara Shikamaru wasn't at all experienced. For the most part, he just simply thought of them as being troublesome. His father had tried to tell him otherwise many times, but it was hard to take him seriously. After all, Shikamaru's mother was the most troublesome person he had ever met.

All of this wasn't to say that Shikamaru wasn't interested in women. Far from it. Like all of his other classmates and comrades he thought about girls all the time. However, he was very choosy about his taste in women. He couldn't really stand the waify, thin waisted dead weights that most of his friends ogled all day. No, Shikamaru really had something in common with Sasuke…or, at least _his _version of Sasuke.

He too, liked chubby girls,

And now Ino was much larger than she'd ever been before, practically crushing him against her body, which put him in a very compromising predicament.

"Ah, Ino, you're-!"

"It's so nice to just hold you like this…" She said breathlessly.

Shikamaru felt his strength dwindle. He knew he had to concentrate in order to keep the transformation jutsu up, but…

"So, how do you feel about me _now_, Sasuke?" Ino said slyly. She pressed her body frankly against Shikamaru's.

"I-I-I…" He stuttered, "I feel…"

_This can't be good…even if it feels good _he thought.

He fought out of Ino's seductive death grip and began to run away.

"S-Sasuke? Where are you going?!" Ino shouted as Shikamaru ran.

Shikamaru ran away as quickly as he'd come, a million feelings coursing through him at once. In a puff of smoke, Sasuke's visage was replaced by Shikamaru's own. He continued to run away.

This had been a prank. A chance to humiliate Ino for making fun of Chouji, nothing more!

The warmth of the hug still clung to him.

Suddenly, the prank had become troublesome.

"Okay, last one" Tsunade said.

Sakura felt absolutely stuffed. She'd eaten almost the entire box of mochi, save for this last one. The taste of powdered sugar and red bean paste lingered in her mouth. Her face was covered in flour and sugar. Tsunade crammed the last mochi into Sakura's open mouth. She began to chew slowly, her jaw muscles worn out from trying to chew the glutinous pastries. Sakura moaned in protest as Tsunade raised her hand to Sakura's mouth once again.

"Relax, I'm just wiping you off. How do you feel?"

"Ugh…I feel like I'm gonna' be sick…" Sakura moaned.

"Yes, well, you _did _just eat an entire package in one sitting. You better get ready now, though. It's time to begin the last part".

Tsunade patted Sakura's head, then moved back a bit.

From where he head was resting, Sakura saw Tsunade form a number of hand seals, her skin beginning to shimmer once again with chakra.

"Alright, I'm going to administer the last jutsu now. This one is going to feel very unusual, so brace yourself" Tsunade said.

"W-what's it going to feel like?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade paused.

"I've never used it to this magnitude before…I honestly can't say".

With that said, Tsunade moved up to the stone slab where Sakura lay. She raised her hands in a final seal…

…then brought them down upon Sakura's stomach!

Sakura gasped.

She could feel Tsunade's chakra pulse through her with the rhythm of a heartbeat. It felt like nothing else she had experienced before. It coursed through her, matching her own rhythm.

Suddenly Sakura felt a pain in her head. She cried out.

More than a headache, the pain felt as if the inside of her mind was in a vice. Crushing and squeezing, the feeling began to extend along her body. It reached across her arms and into her fingertips. Her toes curled back, she clenched her fists tight.

Nothing seemed to lessen the pain!

Sakura craned her head to see what was happening. She peered down along her chest to see Tsunade's hands on her stomach. Chakra continued to flow into her.

Suddenly, there was relief.

The vice-like feeling was disappearing. An incredible feeling of release washed over her body, but the feeling seemed to flow to her stomach. Her stomach began to feel odd, almost like it was bloated.

Then she noticed the change.

She saw Tsunade's hands began to rise, but she could still feel them pressed tight against her.

_It was her stomach that was rising!_

The feeling of bloating continued as Sakura saw her stomach expanding before her eyes. She felt her skin began to feel taut as she continued to grow.

All of these sights were too much.

Sakura felt the feeling lessen. Her vision began to blur, and soon all around her was dark. Darkness all around her.

0o 0o 0o


	4. Sakura Discovers

Part IV 

_Author's note:_

_Hello dear reader, nice to see you again. This story is officially my first fan fiction. It's also the longest piece of fiction I've ever written. Phew, writing can be tedious work!_

_This story originally started out as a joke I made while on the Konoha Village forums. When I discovered that people thought it was funny I decided to take it a step further. Now, it's a four-chapter story! Wow, talk about a joke going horribly awry. _

_I honestly didn't plan for "Shikamaru's Prank" to run this long. It was originally supposed to be only a one-part comedy fic. But now, it has ballooned into something a little more. I don't have an exact ending planned, just a couple of rough ideas. _

_So, if you'd like to see it end a certain way, please e-mail me! My address should be on my profile. I'd like to use other people's ideas in this fic…pretty much because I'm running out of ideas. So please, send them in!_

_Thanks again for reading! Please leave a review, as I love criticism and other people's input!_

_Kiel_

The sun was setting over Konoha. The entire village was bathed in the orange and red light of the setting sun, like a fiery herald announcing the end of another day. A cool breeze swept across the streets, carrying leaves and items from overturned garbage bins. The cool breeze reached a small sake bar on the northern side of the village, chilling its patrons. Cushioned stools lined the counter of the bar, where patrons relaxed and conversed about their successes and woes during the day's events.

Tsunade, still dressed in her green jacket, poured herself another saucer of sweet sake. She drained the saucer quickly; her hand felt something soft brush against it. Atop her head was the Hokage headpiece. The wide hat's white tassels drooped onto the counter and her arm as she leaned to pick up the now empty bottle of sake.

The headpiece stood for the valour and courage of the previous Hokage's accomplishments. It was an important symbol of the strength of the Konohagakure's leader.

"Oi, barkeep. Another bottle please". Tsunade mumbled, shaking the empty bottle between her fingers.

The bartender reached under the counter and brought up another china bottle filled with sake. He poured Tsunade another shot and placed it beside her. "That's your second bottle tonight. Rough day, Hokage-sama?" He asked.

Tsunade took a swill of the sake. "You could say it was rough, yes. You don't need to refer to me as _Hokage-sama _though. Tsunade will do, if you don't mind".

"Gomen, it's just that with the Hokage's hat, it makes you look so official" the bartender smiled.

Tsunade scowled and finished her saucer.

"I hate this hat…I never wear it normally…not since the inauguration ceremony".

"Then why does Tsunade-sama wear it, I wonder?" The bartender asked playfully.

Tsunade sighed. "This hat always reminds me of the greatness of all the previous Hokages. The First, Second, Sarutobi sensei…not to mention the Fourth. The Yondaime especially" She said, remembering the Fourth's sacrifice. "They were all great leaders and great shinobi. It sometimes makes me feel inferior".

"Ah, but you are a _Sanin!_ One of the greatest shinobi in the entire Fire country!"

"You're right," Tsunade mumbled. "I'm a great shinobi…but I sometimes wonder, am I a great leader as well? Can I really live up to my predecessors in terms of leadership? It can be quite discouraging, you know?"

The bartender grunted, cleaning out a few empty glasses. "I'm sure you'll be a great leader," he said.

Tsunade lowered her head, causing the headpiece to slide down and obscure her face.

"I had to make a very difficult decision today," she said.

"It didn't involve diplomats or country leaders. It wasn't even about our Jounin elite. It was about whether to help out one of our Genin ninjas with a personal problem".

Tsunade sighed and continued.

"She wanted me to help her attract a boy that she likes…no, a boy that she _loves_"

"What did you do?" The bartender asked, now curious.

Tsunade leaned back on her stool and laughed. The headpiece fell onto the counter. "I helped her! I took it upon myself to use a technique I probably shouldn't have to help this girl". Tsunade continued to chuckle. "Now, I'm not so sure it was a good idea, but I did it anyway. There was just something about her…something familiar…" She trailed off.

The bartender refilled Tsunade's saucer once again.

"You didn't answer my original question, you know that, right?" He smiled.

"You're right," She said, taking a sip of the sake. "I didn't".

Kotetsu stretched out on his bed. His forehead protector and uniform removed, he relaxed and enjoyed the moment of silence. His body was stiff from working and filing, his eyes sore from reading.

Being the assistant of the Hokage wasn't easy.

He recounted the day's events of plowing through numerous documents that had to be presented to the Hokage, the amount of boxes of files and old communiqués that had to be carried from the Hokage's office to the archives.

If that wasn't enough, Tsunade was the most fickle and difficult person he had ever worked with. She was always asking for favors from him. She sent him on errands constantly. From retrieving books and contacting other ninjas to the most trivial of matters, like attending to her broken window or supervising the academy students, even when there were more than enough teachers there. Kotetsu suspected she just wanted him to be away so that she could go and drink or sneak in a nap.

Today had been especially odd, though.

She sent him off to retrieve ink and brushes, then to go _shopping_ _for snacks. _To top it all off, she wanted all these things delivered to her in the Chuunin exam stadium's sealing room.

Later on, she fetched him again to clean up. He remembered seeing her drag off a young girl, saying something about completing an important technique before leaving. He gathered up spent candles and the ink supplies, _as well as the garbage from the onigiri and package of mochi he had bought earlier!_

It was obvious that some kind of sealing had been performed, but Kotetsu hadn't the faintest idea of what it was or why it had been done. Tsunade hadn't told him anything and kept him busy with other matters. He suspected that it must have been something quite important and secret for her not to tell him.

_But that girl!_

Kotetsu thought he recognized the girl Tsunade was dragging off. It was the girl who told him she had to speak with the Hokage earlier on. What was her name? Haruno…something or other?

He sighed. If Tsunade was keeping him in the dark, it was fine with him. Her private business was, after all, her private business. Best not to dwell on it, he thought.

But one thing kept coming back to him.

The girl Tsunade was dragging away looked _huge! _Nothing like the petit frame of Haruno What's her face he had met earlier that day.

Kotetsu closed his eyes.

He slept soundly, visions of chubby girls played through his mind as he dreamed.

Tsunade stumbled through the streets, making her way back to her apartment. She felt her motor skills weaken, causing her to swagger drunkenly along her way.

_Damn sake _she thought. _Damn me for drinking so much. What was I thinking?_

Tsunade looked upward to the giant stone faces of the four previous Hokages. The Hokage monument stared sternly down on her. She wondered whether she should have answered the barkeep's question or not. She did, after all, have an answer.

She had worn it because she _did _feel inferior. Inferior to the other Hokages.

She had been Hokage for almost a month. After Sarutobi sensei's death, work had come in quickly. She felt like a chicken running with its head cut off. On top of that, she had to send her compatriot, Shizune, along with the other Jounins to complete the immense number of missions that had been requested of Konoha. Not having Shizune around made her feel even more out of place. Sure she'd found a replacement, but Kotetsu was a complete nag. Hardly what she really wanted in a friend, but he did his job quite well.

She wondered whether taking the position of Hokage had been a wise choice after all. She stared into the grim faces of the monument again.

"What?" she slurred. "So what hic if I drink…Ima gonna hic show you all! I'll be a great Hokage, juuuust you wait an' see!"

Tsunade couldn't decide whether she had drank because she was depressed or because she was happy, perhaps a bit of both, maybe.

The last few hours were a complete blur, like a series of events that happened far too fast. She remembered using her technique on Sakura, how she had painted her body and then force-fed her the mochi. It was the last step that seemed the most clear however.

She had concentrated the exact amount of chakra needed to stimulate the newly produced phospholipids within Sakura's body. She aligned Sakura's heartbeat and body rhythm to her own, which made their synchronization easier. It was here that she noticed Sakura was in pain.

Tsunade's shock caused a tremor in the chakra flow. Tsunade had no idea that a lipid expansion at that size would be painful. All of the times she had performed the technique on herself, the only side effect was a slight feeling of her skin being stretched. She cursed herself now for not anticipating it beforehand.

Once the rhythm had been corrected, the expansion began. This was the point where Sakura passed out. With her patient unconscious, she continued the jutsu.

After almost an hour of allocating the Genin's new abundance of fat cells, Tsunade ended it. She then quickly checked Sakura's vital signs, ensuring she was okay. Then, she checked the condition of her spinal chord and medulla oblongata to make sure that the nerve connections between her brain and her diaphragm hadn't been damaged.

All of Sakura's nerves and organs were undamaged. She was alright.

The technique was a success.

Tsunade reached her apartment building. She scaled the steps to reach her room. A pile of scrolls and folders lied on her doorstep.

_Kotetsu must have dropped them off _she thought. It seemed like he never wanted her to have a moment's peace. She bent down and scooped up her new load of work, then opened her door.

Light pierced the darkness of her apartment. Like her office, it was cluttered. Books, documents and old mementos took up the majority of the living space. She dropped Kotetsu's delivery onto a table with a satisfying PLOP. Tsunade winced at the sound, suddenly remembering.

She had a guest tonight.

Tsunade moved over to her couch, where Haruno Sakura lay sleeping. She'd been completely unconscious when they had finished, and Tsunade didn't exactly look forward to dropping Sakura off at her parents looking like she did now. Sakura hadn't mentioned telling her parents anything about what she was doing, so Tsunade thought it was best to leave it for the morning.

_Poor kid, all tuckered out. _Tsunade pulled the covers over Sakura's exposed shoulders, worried she'd catch a cold.

Tsunade made her way to bed, stumbling a bit, thinking about Sakura. There was just _something _about her that interested her, her eagerness and determination to get this boy's attention, the boy from _that _Uchiha clan nonetheless.

Something about her reminded Tsunade of the past.

_Her _past.

Shikamaru sat on the edge of his bed, lost in thought. He couldn't get the memory of his meeting with Ino earlier today out of his mind. It was as if his entire body felt out of sorts, like he was no longer comfortable in his own skin.

There was a knock at his bedroom door.

"Shikamaru? Can I come in?"

The voice was his mother's. "Hai, hai" he responded.

Shikamaru's mother walked in. Wearing a long purple robe covered by a white cooking apron, she exuded motherliness. Her face became cross.

"Only one hai! Grammar is important you know," She said.

"Did you come in only to lecture me about grammar, or was there a _real _reason?" He said irritably.

"You don't need to get smart with me, young man. I just wanted to check up on you. You were awfully quiet at dinner, more so than usual. Is something wrong?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"No mom, I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure? Your idiot father may not be concerned with your _emotional _well being, but I am".

"That's nice to know, mom"

Shikamaru's mother threw her arms up. "Alright, fine. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Just remember that I'm always here for you son"

"Okay, thanks".

Shikamaru's mother moved to leave.

"If it's about a girl, don't talk to your father. He'll just start spouting nonsense again," She said as she left.

Shikamaru's hands clenched.

"Troublesome women…then again, dad wouldn't be much help either" He said under his breath.

He lay back on his bed and cupped his hands into a seal. This was his special thinking position. He used it whenever he had to think up a solution to a complex problem, and _this _certainly qualified.

_C'mon, think! Think, think, think…_

"It's so nice to hold you like this" 

Ino's voice rang through his head.

_Damnit! Gotta' concentrate on something else!_

Shikamaru turned his attention to his surroundings. Puzzles and games littered the floor of his room. He settled on his Shogi board, where he had been trying to solve a challenge Asuma had given him earlier that week.

"Okay, ko to E5, ten to B7"

_"So how do you feel about me _now_?"_

"Crap! I can't think straight!"

No matter what he tried to do, Ino's voice always came back to him.

He couldn't make sense of what he was feeling. He hadn't felt this way towards Ino before. He had just thought of her as one of his teammates, one of his comrades.

_A noisy, stuck up, bossy comrade _he thought.

But now, it was different. What was it about her that made him feel differently now?

The answer was obvious, of course. Shikamaru just didn't want to believe it.

"So what if Ino's fatter now? That shouldn't change anything. It's a prank! I think she looks terrible!"

_Is that true? _A little voice in his head whispered.

Did he feel sorry for doing this to Ino? Not really, it must be something else. He didn't want to face up to what it was that he was feeling. It made him feel ashamed.

Was he _attracted _to Ino now?

Now that she had gained all that weight?

Shikamaru squinted his eyes and groaned.

_Yeah, that's gotta' be it._

Accepting this fact made getting through the night a little easier. In fact, it made it a lot more enjoyable on the whole.

The prank had to continue. Shikamaru just couldn't think of what he should do next.

Sakura awoke, feeling quite groggy. The sun shone in her eyes, making it hard to see. She felt weak and exhausted, as if had stayed up all night on one of Kakashi sensei's missions. She could barely lift her head. The thought of simply falling back asleep crossed her mind, but she resisted. Something felt different.

She looked around to find that she wasn't in her own bed, but on a couch. A couch in a room she didn't recognize. Nothing about her surroundings seemed familiar.

Where was she?

She tried to remember what she had done last night, her mind straining. She recalled something Ino had told her that morning, then going to see Tsunade-sama about-

The technique!

What had happened? Did it work?

Sakura tried to move, but found her body wouldn't respond. It was as if she was made of lead. Sakura, now wide awake, began to panic.

"Ohiyo-Woah! Calm down" A voice called.

Sakura turned her head to see Tsunade rush up to her. She placed her palm on Sakura's brow. Sakura's eyes began to well up with tears.

"Tsunade-sama, I can't move" she whimpered pitifully.

"Shhhh…daijoubu. It's okay. It'll pass. Your body will regain its feeling in a moment. Try to lay still" She cooed.

Sakura took a few deep breaths. She felt her breathing return to normal and began to calm down.

Tsunade knelt beside her. "That's better. Don't scare me so early in the morning, okay?" She said, relieved.

Sakura found herself full of questions.

"Ano, where am I? No, what happened last night?! Was the technique as success?!" She asked, becoming anxious again.

"Whoa, one at a time! You're in my apartment. I contacted your parents and told them you were training with me and would have to spend the night. I think they'll be quite surprised when you get home". Tsunade said, making an awkward smile.

"Wait, you mean? Was the technique a success?"

Tsunade's awkward face progressed. She laughed stupidly.

"Eh heh heh. Why don't you see for yourself" Tsunade pulled off the covers on the sofa.

Sakura peered down at herself.

At first, she didn't quite know what she was looking at. It was as if there was something blocking her view of her stomach. She then realized that _was _her stomach.

"Wha…uueeeehhhh?!" She squealed.

Sakura's stomach extended far in front of her. It was almost the size of a beach ball. It was perfectly round as well. She noticed her breasts had become fuller as well. She now had an ample bust. Her body had completely changed!

"I-is this really me?" Sakura asked Tsunade.

"The final stage of the jutsu involves stimulating the phospholipids that are replicated during the first stage. By manipulating them with chakra, I was able to form new fat cells in your body by collecting the lipids together. I'm afraid I wasn't prepared for how it would turn out on such a large scale. I didn't think it would be painful for you. I'm sorry.

Once I'd expanded the fat cells in your stomach I was free to move them about in your body. I let them follow the paths to where fat is normally stored in your body, but quite a bit still remained in your stomach. I'll have to give you a cream to prevent stretch marks from forming".

"Stretch marks?" Sakura asked, wild eyed.

"Well, yes. Your epidermis stretched an incredible amount in order to accommodate the large amount of new fat in your body. This is probably why you're having trouble moving".

Sakura tried to get up again. It was easier this time, and she felt the feeling come back to her limbs. She raised her arm, noticing it was much chubbier than it had been yesterday.

"S-sugoi…I really look completely different. Now, Sasuke will definitely notice me. Not just notice me, in fact, he'll _love _me!"

Sakura was overwhelmed. She threw her arms around the kneeling Tsunade's shoulders, crushing her in a big hug.

"Arigato Tsunade-sama! Arigato!"

"Ack! S-Sakura!" Tsunade slipped on the hardwood floor of the room, dragging Sakura down off the couch with her.

Sakura landed on the Godaime with a loud ploomp. Tsunade gasped for air as Sakura's giant mass of a body weighed down on her.

"Sakura…can't…breath!" She wheezed.

"Ooh, gomen-na sai! Gomen" Sakura said hastily as she rolled off of Tsunade.

Tsunade sat upright, trying to catch her breath. She gave a shaky smile to Sakura.

"I take it you're happy with how you look?" She asked.

Sakura gave a wide smile. "I just can't believe it's possible! I can't thank you enough!"

Tsunade waved her away. "Just remember our promise. If anything changes, or if you feel weird or unusual at any point, please see me immediately. There's always the chance this technique could backfire somehow…"

Tsunade noticed that Sakura wasn't listening. She was feeling all of her new folds and curves.

"Everything's so jiggly, it's unreal!" Sakura giggled, shaking her tummy.

Tsunade sighed. Everything seemed to have worked out okay, Tsunade thought to herself.

Maybe she would be a decent Hokage after all.

Sakura exited Tsunade's and entered the early morning light of dawn. She wore a dress Tsunade had given her, as her old red one couldn't possibly fit. She'd have to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Sakura also carried a small container filled with the cream Tsunade had mentioned before.

Sakura decided that the first thing she was going to do was visit Sasuke and show him her new 'image'. She'd also bring him the breakfast she'd forgotten from the day before.

Everything seemed like it was perfect.

Then Sakura felt a strange rumbling erupt from deep within her distended belly. A new, almost primal feeling washed over her. She could smell a wondrous scent wafting though the air. Her mouth began to moisten, the rumbling increased in volume.

Sakura was hungry.

Sakura wanted to eat.

Sakura, now referring to herself in the third person, began to walk towards the shopping district.

_Maybe a little breakfast for myself before I see Sasuke_ she thought.

So, Sakura waddled her way towards the wonderful smells of food.

0o 0o 0o


	5. Ino Fights

**Part V**

_Author's note: _

_Hey, Kiel here again with part five. I received a few interesting ideas for the ending and I'm very pleased with the overall response to this fic, so keep the ideas coming in. I estimate the story will until a part 7 or 8, so get those ideas in soon! _

_Ja ne! _

Another day, another adventure.

Another day where Shikamaru awoke from a restless sleep, thoughts of Ino on his mind. Another day were Ino slept in, exhausted from another night of gorging herself and trying to find new clothes that would accommodate her growing figure. Another day where Kotetsu woke up early to fetch the morning schedule for the Godaime.

Shops opened, people rose from their beds to go to work, school, or on shinobi missions.

An average, normal day in Konoha if there ever was one.

Just another day where Uzumaki Naruto ran to get his breakfast in the morning glow of the rising sun, his head protector tied tightly to his head and his spirit high.

"Almost there, almost there! Wait for me, my Ramen!" He chanted.

Ramen was Naruto's daily breakfast. Most mornings he made himself a cup of instant ramen, which was tasty and fast; perfect for days when he was on missions with team 7, but given the time, Naruto loved the ramen at Ichiraku's the best. Ikura-sensei often bought him dinner there as a reward, but Naruto often ate there when he had the money and the time.

"And Kakashi-sensei's off training that jerk Sasuke, so there aren't any missions this morning! This means there's plenty of time to eat a few bowls at Ichiraku ramen!"

Naruto couldn't be happier.

All of his pent up excitement about having the morning off and enjoying a leisurely breakfast came out as he marched through the streets of Konoha towards the ramen stand. Naruto felt the joy escape him as he sang as he ran:

"♪ Gyu ru ru!

Gyu ru ruuu!

Gyu ru ruuuuu!♪♫"

Naruto's little rhyme was cut short as he finally approached his destination.

"Yes! Finally!" He said.

Naruto ran up to the counter, brushing away the fabric overhang sign to see the owner.

"Yosh! Ohiyo gi-chan! One bowl of miso ramen on the double please!" He said, his fist outstretched in a thumbs up.

But the old man wasn't there.

The only one around was the owner's assistant and second cook, Ayame. Her brown hair pulled back by a white kerchief, she sat on the cutting board table in the back of the stand, folding something in her hands. A wide grin plastered on her charmingly cute face.

Naruto spoke up: "Oi! I said I'd like a bowl of miso ramen _please!_".

Ayame looked up to see the face of Ichiraku's best customer. "Oh, good morning! How can I help you?"

Naruto's face became cross. "I want a bowl of miso ramen! Are you deaf or something?!"

Ayame's grin faltered a bit. "Oh…I'm sorry. I can't get you anything this morning".

"Huh? Whaddya' mean? It's _your _job to get me food" Naruto said stupidly.

"Gomen, it's just that…well, we have no more ramen. Our stock of noodles and meat is empty" She said.

"I don't get it. Are you telling me you're all out of ramen?"

Ayame nodded.

Naruto stared blankly at the assistant cook for a moment, before bursting out laughing.

"Ah ha ha ha! That's a good one. _Out of ramen, _how could a ramen stand possibly have no ramen?" Naruto chuckled.

"I'm serious, were completely out of ingredients. The head cook left just a moment ago to buy more beef and noodle packs. Someone came before and bought _ALL _of our food!"

Ayame scooted away from the table to reveal a sink _completely_ full of empty ramen bowls. She then showed Naruto a large wad of Ryou bills.

"We made our entire quota for the next three days in _one _morning!" Her smile widened.

Naruto, however, was not pleased. His face became stern.

"There's no ramen left at all?! What am I going to do for breakfast?!" He shouted.

Ayame moved to the side of the counter, stirring a pot. "Well, we've still got tonkotsu and miso _broth _if you'd like. I might even be able to scrounge up some swirl wontons if you'd like".

Naruto lowered his head, resting his chin on the counter, his face grim and depressed. His dream of a leisurely breakfast had been destroyed.

"No…it's okay…s'not the same without the noodles anyway" He sighed.

Ayame rustled his hair. "Don't worry; I'm sure the manager will be back with more ingredients soon. You're welcome to wait for him, if you'd like".

"Alright," Naruto sighed again. "I can't believe that a whole _crowd _of people were here before me. I'm usually the first here".

"Oh, it wasn't a crowd of people"

Naruto looked up a bit, curious.

"You mean that just _one _person ate all of this?" Naruto said, motioning towards the bowl filled sink.

"Yeah, it was this big fat girl with pink hair and green eyes. I swear, I've never seen anyone as big as her. She said she was just stopping in for a quick bit to eat before seeing her boyfriend, and the next thing you know, _she's eaten almost everything! _Good thing she was able to pay" Ayame snorted.

Naruto laughed.

"Wow, a big, pink haired fat girl, eh? Can't imagine how such a fatass could get a boyfriend, I mean, _I'd _never like someone like that" Naruto laughed again as he waited for his breakfast to return.

* * *

Shikamaru waited outside of Chouji's house. He had been waiting for almost a half hour for his friend to wake up. During that time Shikamaru had shouted, banged on the door and even thrown rocks at the house's windows. The Akamichi clan were heavy sleepers.

"Chouji, wake up!" He banged on the door again "Come on, we've got to go!"

There was still no answer.

Shikamaru sighed and unzipped his backpack. "Looks like I'll have to use my last resort" he muttered under his breath as removed a bag of barbeque potato chips. He opened the bag and began munching on the tangy fried potato snack. A few moments later, the small bag had been emptied, save for one last chip.

Shikamaru held the chip in his hand, hearing the telltale stomping from inside the Akamichi household.

Chouji burst forth from the front door wearing only his pyjamas. He rushed forward and snatched the chip out of Shikamaru's hand, shoving it in his mouth.

"No one but me will have the last potato chip!" He shouted, spraying bits of chip as he spoke.

"Chouji, c'mon. I need to speak with you".

Chouji rubbed his eyes. "This early in the morning? Asuma doesn't want us to do another training run again, does he?"

"Asuma's off with Kurenai, trying to track down Anko for their evaluation of the ANBU this morning. I just want to talk. Why don't you go get dressed, we'll take a walk".

Chouji grumbled. "Alright, but only if we can have breakfast on the way, your treat!"

"Fine, fine," Shikamaru sighed. "Let's just go…"

Moments later, the two friends found themselves at a tea house. Chouji ordered a large plate of sweet dumplings and a green tea. Shikamaru ordered nothing.

"Why are you so stressed out about this? It _was _your idea after all" Chouji said to Shikamaru. They seated facing each other at an outside table of the tea house.

"Listen Chouji, this prank was run for a whole two days. I'm just not sure if I can keep it up…or if she can keep it up as well" he said.

"Shikamaru, I told you before that she can't harm her body just by overeating. Ino's stomach can't hold a dangerous amount of food anyway. Besides, it's going great! Have you seen how she looks recently?"

Shikamaru looked away from Chouji. He remembered his meeting with her from the previous day. It made him uncomfortable just thinking about it.

"Yeah, I've seen her. Look, I think that you should take my place as Sasuke today. It's too…troublesome for m to do it, y'know?" He said.

"But Shikamaru, you're much better at 'henge no jutsu' than I am. I'd just screw it up and give us away. Do you know what Ino will do to me if she found out about this?!" Chouji shuddered.

"Yeah, well, we can't keep this up forever. Sasuke will eventually return to Konoha, which will spoil the whole thing. And I'd rather have just Ino to deal with than both her _and _Sasuke".

Chouji's face fell. Another thing the two of them hadn't thought about. How would Sasuke react if he found out they had pretended to be him to pull a prank? Not well, Shikamaru imagined.

He stood up, knocking his chair aside. "Alright, if you won't go, I guess I'll have to take care of it…better to get it out of the way anyhow," Shikamaru fished out 500 Ryou for Chouji's breakfast.

"I'll see you later, if I survive…" He mumbled as he made his way towards Ino's house.

* * *

Ino walked briskly down the path from her home, patting her stomach as she went. She'd just eaten a substantial breakfast and was feeling quite pleased with herself.

_Today I'm going to see Sasuke, and I'm not going to let him shy his way out of being with me like he did last night._

Ino fondly remembered yesterday's meeting. Sasuke had seemed genuinely attracted to her. It was a major breakthrough! He knew he was shy, though. She'd have to make sure he couldn't get away this time.

Ino continued to walk at a quick pace, trying to dodge people as she went. It was morning and early shoppers made their way through the streets. Ino found it was much more difficult now to move out of people's ways when she was so rotund.

"Excuse me, oof, sorry, I'm in a hurry" She mumbled as she fought through a small crowd. It didn't help when her mind was completely elsewhere. Somewhere off in the clouds…with Sasuke-kun.

"_Ino, I just love your big round body…make me want to just kiss you all over"_

"_Oh Sasuke…I can't tell you how long I've waited for thi-"_

Ino's daydream was cut short as she crashed into someone. She felt her face hit something soft and warm, before being forced backwards, falling on her behind.

_At least I've got more cushioning now_ Ino thought painfully as she got up.

"Surimase! I wasn't looking where I was going and…"

Ino stopped mid-sentence. She simply stopped and gaped at what she saw.

"Why Ino, what a surprise meeting you here"

Ino stared into the cool green eyes of Haruno Sakura. She felt the blood drain from her face as she saw what Sakura had become.

No longer a thin, flat-chested little girl, Sakura was immense. Her stomach pushed out in almost every direction. Looking as if she was almost pregnant with an innumerable amount of babies, Sakura was literally a walking blimp!

"Sssss…Ssssss" Ino stuttered. She saw a sly grin appear on Sakura's face.

"What's the matter Ino? Did I scare you?" She said slyly.

"Sakura! Wh-wh-what happened to you?" Ino blurted out.

"I simply followed your advice. You told me Sasuke like chubby girls, so I found a way to make that happen for me. Now I'm _much _bigger than you" Sakura said nastily, she turned away and continued walking "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a man to go see. Sasuke-kun will love me far more than you".

Ino felt the blood return to her face, only with ten times the intensity as it had left her. Her body burned with anger, every fibre of her being felt pulled apart at the seams.

_How dare that bitch Sakura outdo me! How dare she! I'M the one who'll win Sasuke-kun over!!! Not that inflated bimbo, ME!!!_

"How _dare _you!" Ino shouted, leaping at Sakura, her hands aimed for her throat. Sakura tried to grab Ino's hands as they advanced towards her, but she couldn't get them past her stomach. Ino's lunge sent her flying on top of Sakura, causing the two of them to fall on top of each other.

"Ooooph!" Sakura gasped as Ino's own girth fell flat onto her gigantic belly, forcing the air out of her lungs. Ino's eyes burned with intensity, she moved her hands to strangle her opponent-

They wouldn't move!

Ino looked down to see her fists-

_What the?!_

-were stuck in the folds of flab of Sakura's stomach! She was caught in fat!

People began to gather around the two cumbersome girls as they went at it.

"Oi! Neko fighto!" One man cheered.

"I've never seen girls so fat before!" Another said.

"Maybe some kind of new combat jutsu?" A woman said.

"A thousand Ryou on the fattest one!" One shouted.

"I'll take that! The chubby blonde'll beat her no problem!"

Only one person chose not to watch the fight. Shikamaru hid behind the wall of a side street building, just out of view of Sakura and Ino. Blood trickled down his face from his nose as he slouched against the wall.

Ino had told Sakura, and now _she _was gaining as well!

"This has become…very troublesome" He gasped.


	6. Sakura Waits

**Part VI**

_Author's note:_

_Oh my god…_

_This fic is at its sixth chapter! Yay! Never thought I'd have the attention span to write a six chapter story before! I'm still accepting suggestions and ideas for the end of this story. Please leave them with a review or e-mail them directly to _

_Thanks again!_

The midday sun beat down hard on the barren rocky cliffs that lined the border between the fire country and the stone country. The rugged exterior was covered in clay coloured dust, puffs of it swirled around as the wind blew by. Tiny granules of the dust seemed everywhere now. The upper plateaus of the cliffs were jagged and blown apart, as if by some tremendous force.

Slowly, the dust began to settle, slowly dissipating to reveal two figures standing at the top. One was crouched down low, clutching its right wrist. The other was standing a few metres away, a slump to its shoulders.

The crouched figure, a young boy, wore a black shirt with a wide collar, the symbol of a fan embroidered on the back. The boy gasped and wheezed, out of breath. His dark blue hair plastered to his face by perspiration. Sweat trickled down his neck and onto his back, passing over a dark, three-pronged swirl on his skin.

The other figure, an older man, stood casually away from the boy. Clad in the Jounin uniform of a Konoha ninja, his face was almost completely covered by a mask, save for his right eye. His hair, tall and grey, was covered in the reddish dust of the cliffs. He flipped idly through the pages of a naughty book.

"Sasuke, lets see it one more time" The older man said.

The boy exhaled and nodded. He turned to face a tall, rocky section of the cliff wall. Like a flash, his hands executed a series of complicated seals, ending with his right palm facing the ground, his left supporting his wrist.

Before it could be seen, the technique echoed through the expanse of cliffs; a high pitched screeching. As if birds from all around were calling in anger.

A thousand birds.

Chakra streaked across the boy's right palm, like blue lightning it crissed and crossed around his arm. The boy took off like a flash, speeding for the cliff wall, his arm outstretched in front of him. Everything around seemed to pale in comparison to the brilliant blue light of the concentrated chakra, which connected quickly to the wall.

"Chidori!"

With the force of a small explosion, the wall of the cliff gave in upon itself, yielding to the mighty pierce of the stab from the boy. The rock crumbled and disintegrated, destroyed on a molecular level by the furious chakra.

The entire half of the cliff fell and plummeted to the earth below.

Soon after the chakra began to fade and dissipate.

"Ah, your control is improving Sasuke. You've gained almost complete mastery of the Chidori" The man said, putting away his book.

The boy turned to face his teacher, his eyes a scorching red. His pupils lined with yin shaped swirls.

"Well, I think we've destroyed enough of the scenery around here. What do you say to heading back?" The man said.

The boy wiped his hair out of his eyes, revealing the gleaming metal plate of a Konoha head protector.

"It'll took us three days to get out here, Kakashi-sensei," He said at last, "Now…I think we can cut that time in half getting back".

"Aren't you eager," The man said, a grin visible through his mask. "Alright, we'll be back in Konoha in two days. Are you sure you'll be able to keep that kind of pace up?"

The boy smiled.

* * *

Naruto made his way down the street. He was in a foul mood; he gave up on waiting for the manager after almost an hour. He told Ayame he'd be back for lunch and that they'd better have ramen by the time he got back.

It figured that the one chance he had to relax would be riddled with problems. Kakashi was off training with Sasuke, and while Ero-Senin was in Konoha, he hadn't heard anything from him about more training or anything like that.

Looking back on yesterday, he felt a bit stupid.

Hinata had invited him to spend the afternoon with her, Shino and Kiba as they trained, but he had turned her down. He figured he'd have plenty to do during his moment of rest. Besides, he didn't want to have to put up with Kiba's snide remarks or having Hinata follow him around and mumble all day.

Konohamaru had asked him if he would play ninja with him and his friends, but Naruto had turned them down as well. If he didn't want to be with Kiba and Hinata, he sure didn't want to spend the day babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed kids.

But now, with his breakfast plans dashed and little else to look forward to, Naruto regretted turning down those invitations. They would have at least kept him from being bored. Naruto racked his mind, trying to think of who he could visit or see.

"Maybe Ikura sensei's not too busy with classes, or maybe I could track down Ero-Senin and get him to help me practice the Rasengan…or,"

An idea popped into his head. The only member of team 7 who wasn't away!

"Sakura-chan" He said dreamily. Maybe today would be the day that she'd finally go out with him! Naruto made up his mind that he'd go see Sakura right away.

As he began to run (He could see Sakura faster if he did) Naruto noticed a large crowd of people blocking his path. They seemed to be watching something exciting, shouting and cheering.

"Huh?" Naruto said, pushing his way past the crowd to get a better look.

Two people were fighting.

Naruto saw two people squaring off within the circle of the crowd. One of them Naruto recognised as Yamanaka Ino, her blonde hair askew and missing in patches, she seemed a little bigger than normal though.

"Hey, it's Sasuke-Idiot!" Naruto called out. Ino didn't seem to notice, her attention solely draw by her opponent.

The person Ino was facing had their back to Naruto. He was bigger than anyone Naruto had ever seen. Not height wise, mind you, but in weight. The person Ino was fighting was extremely fat, his stomach jiggling every time he moved.

Naruto didn't get a good look at him until he circled around enough for him to see his head. He was fair skinned, had a girlish face, and had pink hair.

Girlish face…pink hair!

Suddenly Ino's opponent's identity dawned on Naruto.

"That's…that's…the guy who ate all my ramen!" He shouted.

Naruto didn't really care about Ino, she was just another girl who always wanted to be near Sasuke, but he immediately sided with her now. Now that he knew what was at stake.

Naruto watched the fight continue, waiting with bated breath. Neither Ino nor the pink haired man made a move; they just continued to circle around each other in some kind of deadly test of wills. Naruto quickly got bored of this and decided to take matters into his own hands.

His fingers flashed in front of him, forming a cross.

Suddenly a second Naruto appeared next to himself. A kage bunshin.

Naruto opened his palm to the shadow doppelganger, he felt chakra flowing through is arm and into his outstretched hand. The doppelganger began motioning over Naruto's palm. Soon, a spherical swirl of chakra began to materialize. It shown bright blue.

The crowd soon became less interested in the fight, now gazing at the brilliant blue ball. Ino's attention was finally wrenched away from her opponent as well, as both of them slowly turned to face Naruto.

The doppelganger's motions intensified, the ball of chakra began to spin in every direction, becoming more and more focussed. Finally the sphere reached its critical mass, the doppelganger burst into a puff of smoke.

"You ate my breakfast, you bastard!" Naruto shouted.

He crouched low and ran swiftly past the crowd, right up to the pink haired man. Naruto took aim and thrusted his palm into the man's gut.

"RASENGAN!"

The ball of chakra forced its way into the belly of the pink haired man, it shred off the clothing he was wearing, before sinking into his fat stomach. The man screamed a high pitched, womanly scream. Naruto thought he recognised it.

The end result of the technique, however, was not as Naruto planned.

Naruto's rasengan logged itself in the man's stomach, but from there it seemed to stop. Normally the chakra burned and tore at the person being attacked, but instead the ball simply seemed to be engulfed in the blubber of the man…

…with Naruto's hand still attached!

Naruto's face screwed up, his hand was stuck.

"N-nani?!" He choked.

The spiralling of the rasengan began too take effect, but not on Naruto's opponent. Naruto felt his wrist began to twist. He was suddenly thrown of his feet and sent into a dizzying spiral. The rasengan was spinning him around instead of the pink haired man!

With the rasengan's chakra just about spent, Naruto was sent shooting off into the air. His body flying overheard of his opponent, Ino and the crowd, until it came in contact with something:

The wall of a building.

Naruto impacted the wall with a loud CRACK! He felt his body stiffen as he hit. He rebounded off the wall and hit the crushed dirt road with a painful THWUMP! His entire body ached, his wrist especially. He figured it might be broken from the rasengan backfiring. He felt his eyes become heavy as he was losing consciousness.

"Naruto-kun!" He heard a voice shout.

That's Sakura-chan's voice!

He forced his eyes open, but the only thing he could see has the shadow of the huge, pink haired man moving towards him. Is he gonna finish me off? Naruto thought.

Then he felt someone holding him. The warm, soft press of skin caressed his face.

"Naruto, daijoubu-ka?" A voice said.

Naruto could see Sakura's face fill his eyes. But they began to close again. Another voice called out to him. It was gruff and old sounding:

"Don't worry, little girl. He'll be alright" The voice said.

Naruto couldn't be bothered with listening to things now, he was tired. So very, very tired. Maybe he'd just close his eyes and rest a while. That seemed like a good idea. He'd see Sakura later when he woke up.

Naruto smiled despite the pain, he felt Sakura against him.

Strange, she felt a lot fatter than the last time he'd gotten a chance to see her.

* * *

The afternoon passed and the sun began to once again set on the Konoha Gakure village. The events of the day eventually passed from peoples minds into the hustle and bustle. Dark clouds began to roll in from the northwest along with high winds. Rain looked eventual.

Ino looked out of her window at the approaching storm. Her mind still reeling after all of what had happened today. She knew that a few things were for sure, though.

Sakura was beating her.

Somehow, Sakura had found a way to get extremely fat in a short period of time. She was now more than three times Ino's size. She knew that it shouldn't surprise her. Sakura was smart. She was brilliant! She had always come in first on written test scores in the academy. It was entirely possible that she came up with some jutsu to make her gain weight like crazy.

It was discouraging, after all the work she'd done to gain weight for Sasuke, Sakura had outdone her in almost no time at all.

"Ino-chan, dinner!" Her mother called from downstairs.

Ino decided that this was no time to give up.

"Sakura-san thinks _she_ can outdo me? Not a chance in hell! I'll catch up to her and win Sasuke's love before she even knows what's going on!"

With that, she headed downstairs.

Ino's parents sat quietly at their dinner table. Large bowls of food occupied almost every space. Ino's father raised an eyebrow.

"Dear, I'd like to speak to you about something" He said.

"What is it?" Ino's mother asked as she served the rice.

"Ino's weight. She's been eating an awful lot lately. I'm worried that her health could be at risk".

"I doubt it" she said.

Ino's father groaned. "Dear, you may not quite grasp this, but ninjas must learn to be stealthy. It's not easy to sneak around when you're overweight".

Ino's mother snorted. "She's not overweight. I think it's fantastic that she's eating more. I was so worried that she wasn't eating enough, she was so thin. That can't be good for a ninja either, can it?"

"Oto-san, Oka-san. What's for dinner?" Ino asked as she came down the stairs.

"We're having pork cutlet tonight sweetie. Oh! Are you alright? Your face?" Ino's mother pointed to the few bruises and missing tufts of hair from Ino's head.

"Oh…those. I was…training with Shikamaru and Chouji and things got a bit rough. I'm fine mom" Ino said quickly, thinking on her feet.

"Alright, well eat up. We want you to be big and strong for your next missions, don't we dear?" Ino's mother kicked Ino's father under the table.

"OH! Of course we do…" he mumbled.

With that being said, Ino helped herself to as much as she could eat, taking advantage of her wonderful mother's love.

After dinner, Ino crept up to her room and emptied her bank. She decided that she would sneak out and spend as much as she could on her next binge. She was determined to out eat Sakura at any cost.

She opened her window and crept out into the darkness.

A world of tantalizing treats lay ahead of her.

* * *

Sakura now found herself in Naruto's apartment. She'd never been inside his home before; somehow her surroundings were exactly as she'd imagined them. The walls were lined with posters of expensive kinds of ramen, Naruto hung a very revealing girlie calendar by his bed. Trash littered the floors and the sink was full of unwashed dishes.

He really is an idiot she thought.

Naruto lay on his bed, completely dead to the world. He snored a bit, drool dripping from his open mouth. His right wrist and hand were bound in bandages.

"He'll be alright. I'm no medical ninja, but a know how to heal a fractured bone. Besides, Naruto is much tougher than he looks".

Sakura turned to the man who had helped her earlier.

After Ino had attacked her, Naruto tried to fight Sakura off of her by using some kind of Chakra technique. It had burned the skin on her stomach (not to mention ruined the dress Tsunade had lent her) but she wasn't badly hurt. The technique didn't work properly for some reason. Sakura's tummy had somehow bounced the chakra back and sent Naruto sprawling.

Sakura had immediately tried to help him, she'd had forgotten Ino for the moment. Just as she had reached him, a tall, long haired man had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to help them.

"Don't worry, little girl. He'll be alright" He had said. He brought the two of them back to Naruto's place and helped him.

The man turned to Sakura. The lights in Naruto's apartment were out, but the man's figure was no less striking. He stood quite tall, over six feet. He wore fancy red and green robes with wooden sandals. He looked pretty old, not as old as Hokage Gi-chan might have been, but definitely older than Kakashi-sensei. He had a mole on his nose, red lines down the side of his face, and wore a heavy, horned head protector atop his long, shaggy white hair.

"Are you alright?" He asked gruffly.

Sakura felt words fail her. Her mouth became dry. "I-I-"

"You took the Rasengan on at almost full power. Certainly you can't be unhurt"

Sakura felt her large stomach and winced. It hurt pretty badly.

"Here, I'll take a look. Lift up your shirt" He said.

Sakura blushed. Once again she was being asked by an older person to expose herself.

"Don't worry. I'm not into girls who are as…uh…endowed as you are"

Sakura felt her body again. It was hard getting used to being so big. She lifted the tatters of the dress she was wearing.

"Ah yes, chakra burns. I can heal this, but it might sting a bit". The man placed his hand on Sakura's stomach, right above her naval. His hands were warm but very coarse. The man pulled his hand away quickly, a look of surprise on his face.

"What is it? Is it bad?" Sakura asked.

The man lowered his voice. "Tsunade did this to you. Why?" His face became stern.

Sakura's eyes widened. How did he _know?_

"You have Tsunade's chakra signature coursing through you. She used _that_ technique on you, didn't she?" The man's mouth became a wide grin.

"Y-yes, she did. I asked her to use it on me" Sakura said at last.

The man looked puzzled. "You _purposely_ asked to be like this? Why would you want to be this fat?"

Sakura blushed even harder. Not only was this man peeking under her dress, but now he wanted her to tell him her inner most desire?

"I'm…I'm trying to attract someone…someone close to me" She mumbled.

Sakura waited for him to laugh or look at her with disgust, but that didn't happen. Instead, he simply smiled.

"I think I see why she performed that technique on you now. You are quite similar…

"Ever since she was your age, she was always finding ways of manipulating her body in order to attract that special someone. Ah…that was a long time ago".

Sakura was confused. "Are you talking about Tsunade-sama? Did you know her?"

The man chuckled and raised his left hand. There was a ring on his index finger.

_The same ring Tsunade wore, which means…_

The man smiled again.

"I'd give you the full song and dance, but I don't want to wake stupid over there. I am Jiraiya. Tsunade was one of my comrades when we were your age. We were part of a three-man team under the Sandaime"

Sakura gasped.

"You're one of the Sanin! Konoha's three greatest shinobi!" She squealed.

"Yeah, that's' me. I wish your idiot friend over there would recognise that more often".

"You know Naruto?"

"I'm the one that _taught_ him the technique he used against you. Stupid of him really. I've told him the Rasengan is powerful and should be used sparingly, but does he listen?! Well, that's another story

"Let's get started on healing that burn, shall we?" With that said, Jiraiya bit his thumb and formed a series of seals. He then smacked his palm with the bloody thumb onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu" he whispered.

A cloud of smoke exploded where his palm was. The smoke slowly went away, revealing a red, wary toad the size of a large loaf of bread. Jiraiya picked up the toad with both his hands and held it close to Sakura.

"Ninpo: Healing Frog Salve!" he said, giving the toad a big squeeze. The toad's mouth opened and shot a glob of green slime out, right onto Sakura's stomach.

Sakura felt her throat rise. The slime felt so gross!

"Now hold still, this salve will heal the burn in an instant. Wonderful stuff, frog salve. For chakra burns, toad is best" He said as he began to rub it into Sakura's stomach burn.

"Ano, Jiraiya-sama, I really don't think that's necessary. I can handle_ooooooohh_" Sakura felt a wonderful sensation in her stomach. The wincing pain was gone, completely replaced by the soothing, rubbing motion of Jiraiya's hand. Her large tummy rumbled in delight. Having her tummy rubbed felt amazing!

"There, see? What'd I tell you?" Jiraiya said, wiping off his hand.

"Now, before I go, I'd like a couple questions answered. I saw your little tiff with that blonde babe, as well as this idiot using that technique, but nothing before that. Why were you fighting?" he asked.

Sakura sighed and began her story, explaining how she had found out from Ino about her precious person's interest in chubby girls, and their subsequent race to gain the most weight to catch his attention.

"I see. Just be careful what you do. The human body is a delicate thing. Too much of anything, even something that _feels _good, can be bad. Oh, one more thing. Who's the boy you're trying to do this for?"

"Uchiha Sasuke" Sakura said.

"Ah…I see. Very similar indeed" He said. He picked up his stuff and left Sakura with Naruto alone in his apartment.

Sakura sighed and sat down. Naruto's kitchen chair cracked and broke under the weight of her girth. Naruto didn't notice though, he was sleeping like a baby.

"Shoot. I'll never be able to sit down properly again…" she muttered under her breath.

Suddenly the feeling from before returned.

Like a tidal wave, it consumed Sakura in an instant.

The carnal hunger, the need to eat.

Her stomach growled at the prospect of more food. Sakura managed to stand and make her way to the door. "I should get dinner…very hungry, after all".

She wedged her way through Naruto's meagre doorframe and headed towards the delicious smell of food once again.


	7. Ino eats

**Part VII**

_Author's note:_

_Well, it's the 31st of December, which means 2005 is just around the corner! But I digress, the story: things are moving much more smoothly with 'part VI' out of the way. This chapter and part VIII will probably see the end of this little stuffing endeavour. _

_I've read reviews and e-mails that have come in about the ending; I've enjoyed all of them and am still flip-flopping on a final ending, so there is still time to get your idea in. _

_All the best in the New Year!_

_Kiel._

The sun had finally set, yielding to the darkness of the night. In homes, lights grew dim as people began to rest for the next morning. The commercial district of Konoha, however, was full of life and excitement. Bars were open in full force, serving drinks to tired ninjas, back from a day of missions. Restaurants were bustling, feeding hungry patrons dinners and late night snacks. The district shown with soft light from paper lanterns and harsher, neon light from overhead signs.

Tsunade returned again to the small and quiet sake bar she had visited the night before, far away from the rowdiness of the busy commercial district. She sipped a small saucer of sweet sake, enjoying the tingle and warmth that spread down her chest as she swallowed.

Another person sat down beside her. He motioned to the bartender.

"A bottle of sake and some diced radishes, please" He said.

Tsunade didn't bother to turn to look at this person. She already knew who he was. "Aren't you up a bit late, Jiraiya?" She said coolly.

The old Sanin smiled as he was served his drink and appetiser. "You're no spring chicken yourself, you know. I'm also not the one running an entire village now, am I? Drinking late at night, very unbecoming of a Hokage".

Tsunade laughed.

"I work hard to keep this village safe. Excuse me if I feel I deserve a hard drink now and then".

"Here, here" he said. They both raised their saucers in a toast.

Silence took over, as the two Sanins sat and enjoyed the comforts of alcohol and pickled radish. It took a while, but Jiraiya finally broke the silence.

"Do you think it was wise?" He said in a low voice.

"Hmm?" Tsunade had just taken a dreg of her sake. "Do I think _what_ was wise?"

Jiraiya looked darkly at Tsunade.

"Using the 'mamorai baika no jutsu' on that girl. Do you think that was a wise decision?"

Tsunade paused, her sake raised halfway to her lips. Her eyes turned to Jiraiya as she drained her glass.

"How did you come to know about Sakura?" She asked, her eyes closed.

"I took her to Naruto's place. She had a fight with the Yamanaka clan's girl. Seems she's the one competing with Sakura over Uchiha Sasuke".

"They fought?! What happened? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. Naruto's in worse shape though"

"Naruto? How did he get involved?"

"He tried to break them up. The idiot used the Fourth's technique"

Tsunade's eyes widened. Her mind went back to when Naruto used the Rasengan against Orochimaru's servant.

"What?! How badly was Sakura hurt? What about the Yamanaka girl?"

"They're both fine. Sakura suffered a few burns, but nothing serious. If she hadn't been as fat as she is though…" Jiraiya trailed off.

"Why _did _you use it on Sakura?" he said.

"I have my reasons" She said quietly.

"That's not a jutsu that should be used on someone so young"

"I was her age when I began to use it on myself"

"But you didn't use it to the extent that you've used it on her until you were almost sixteen," Jiraiya said. "It's not healthy for her".

"It's what _she _wants" Tsunade said.

"She may not know what she wants!" Jiraiya shot back. "Remember when you were her age? You tried to do the exact same thing as her. What if this Uchiha boy is the same as _he _was? What if she's just following a rumour?"

Tsunade sighed.

"That can't be, she told me she herd it from him from someone who spoke to him directly".

"That blonde babe?"

Tsunade choked on her sake. "Wh-where do you get off calling a young girl like that a _babe?! _You really are just a pervert".

Jiraiya smiled. "I just call 'em as I see 'em".

"I'm sure you do" Tsunade said irritably, she knocked back another glass of sake.

"You know, even if she does win over Sasuke, she won't be able to function properly as a shinobi with that little 'tummy' of hers. Neither will the Yamanaka girl if she keeps eating the way she does" he said.

Tsunade lowered her eyes. She knew this was true.

"I'm sure your intentions were good, but this sort of thing can't continue" Jiraiya continued.

"Well, I can't force Sakura to revert to her normal size. It's something she'd have to decide on her own".

Jiraiya leaned back on his stool.

"Well, we could sort of…nudge them along a bit"

Tsunade raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

Jiraiya grinned.

"I've got a plan that'll set those girls straight" He said smiling.

"Is it safe?"

"It's safe, and a little more creative than trying to trick them by pretending to be Sasuke and telling them otherwise".

Tsunade raised her head.

"Alright, I'm listening"

* * *

Shikamaru snuck along the side streets of the commercial district. His father had gone out drinking and, for some reason, brought Shikamaru along. He could never understand his father's need to get drunk and surly at the end of a long day. Were his father's troubles so bad that he had to get completely inebriated just to get over them?

_That might not be a bad idea after today _he thought.

Shikamaru remembered the fight between Ino and Sakura earlier. He was originally going to use 'henge no jutsu' to turn into Sasuke and see Ino again, whether it was for the prank or not, he felt like he needed to see her again.

Of course, those plans were dashed away the second he saw Haruno Sakura. Now _she _was a part of the prank too. If being slightly attracted to Ino didn't made things troublesome, _this _certainly did. Shikamaru remembered his father's words that 'there's nothing worse than a woman scorned'. Now he had two to deal with!

Shikamaru had slipped away from his father and his friends to go look for Ino. He had heard from TenTen earlier during the day that she had seen Ino eat at restaurants late during the night over the past few days. He hoped she was right as he slinked along looking for his chubby comrade.

"I'll just transform into Sasuke and let things go from there. No sense trying to plan out what I'm going to say to someone who'll be unpredictable" He said to himself. He'd just let things happen, let Ino make the first move. He wouldn't mind talking for a while, or getting glomped for that matter.

Shikamaru came to one of the larger, sit down restaurants in town. It had a large, pink neon sign displaying the restaurant's name, "Mealu Ichiban". It was the most popular place for couples to eat at. It also served some of the most generous portions of food. They served a variety of different kinds of food.

He hoped his hunch would pay off.

He glanced in the window, trying to see if he could find Ino. He saw many couples dining together, a few old men seated at a side bar section…

There!

Shikamaru glanced to the side of the restaurant, recognising Ino's purple clothes and platinum blonde hair. She was leaning back in her chair, a smug look on her face. She was talking to someone across from her.

Shikamaru stood on his tiptoes to get a better look.

His face paled, a worried look appeared.

Taking up two chairs across from Ino was Sakura.

The two of them were eating _together?!_

Shikamaru's heart fell. Sakura being there was an undesirable factor for his plan. There was no way he could be Sasuke with _both _of them there. That'd be far too troublesome.

_Why not just go in anyway? Eavesdrop a bit; find out what's happening_ a voice in his head whispered.

Shikamaru weighed the consequences of that idea. It wasn't too risky, provided he could stay out of view of them and still listen in. He took a deep breath and entered the font door. A pretty young waitress met him upon his entrance. "Table for one, sir?" she asked politely.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Actually, could I have a table close to _those _two over there?" he said motioning towards the area where Ino and Sakura were sitting.

"Of course! Right this way" She said, leading him further into the restaurant.

_So far, so good _he thought.

* * *

Sakura sat down upon two chairs, forcing a smile as she faced her biggest rival. She came to this restaurant because she knew it was the best for when you wanted a lot of food, but she didn't expect Ino to be eating her as well. When Sakura had sat down, Ino walked over and insisted that she eat with her. She too, seemed to be wearing a fake smile.

"So, Sakura, how are you?" Ino said tersely. Her napkin held in a tight death grip.

"Just fine, thank you very much, you?" She replied, teeth gritted.

"Just peachy, I see you've put on quite a bit of weight"

"You too, you're filling out quite nicely".

Neither of them dared to break eye contact. It was a battle of wills, seeing how long they could continue small talk before their anger took over.

Their waitress, a pretty, young girl with black hair approached their table. "Good evening ladies, our specials tonight include a Lau mien dish, served with a peanut peanut sauce and mixed vegetables. We also have a wonderful salmon fillet sushi platter with wasabi and pickled ginger. May I take your orders?"

Ino was the first to order.

"I'll have the Lau main, a side of potatoes, a loaf of bread and a soup please!" She shouted, her eyes never leaving Sakura's.

"I'll have the same," Sakura said quickly "_and _add a large pitcher of iced green tea!"

The waitress smiled. "My, what big appetites we have tonight. Your order will be ready soon". With that, she left the two to stew.

Sakura and Ino continued to stare darkly at each other. Seconds later, their food arrived. The waitress began to pile plates of food in front of the two. The noodles glistened in its rich peanut sauce. The bread looked soft and freshly baked.

Instantly, Sakura felt herself salivate, the rich smells filled her nostrils, filling her with newfound hunger.

"Your Lau mien, ladies" She said sweetly. Both Ino and Sakura couldn't contain their surprise.

"That was so fast!" Sakura said.

"We just ordered seconds ago!" Ino gasped.

"Enjoy" She said, and wandered off elsewhere.

Ino and Sakura poured themselves large glasses of the tea and picked up their chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" The two girls said and began to dig in.

Sakura grabbed bowl closest to her. She swirled the noodles into a tight ball and shoved it into her eager mouth. The noodles tasted wonderful, a thick peanut flavour danced across her tongue before she swallowed. As tasty as the food was, Sakura felt that she couldn't take the time to properly savour it. She glanced across at Ino, who was shovelling potatoes into her mouth and swallowing as fast as she could.

It wasn't a meal, it was a race.

A test to see who was most devoted to Sasuke, by eating the most. A real food fight.

It wasn't long before their plates were empty. The pitcher drained. Not even the crust of the bread remained. Ino wiped her messy face, her napkin coming away with bits of noodle and baulk Choy.

Sakura felt tension in her stomach. She had eaten all that food in a very short amount of time. She felt indigestion beginning to sink in. She forced herself not to grimace, not to show weakness in front of Ino.

"Well, that was good for a first course, wouldn't you say?" Ino said breathlessly.

Sakura panted. "Not even close, I'm still starving". She saw Ino's face fall a bit.

"Alright then, waitress! Okawari! We'd like some more!" Ino shouted.

The same black haired waitress came trotting up to their table again. "All finished? Ready for a second course?" she asked.

"Yeah, this time we'll have barbequed pork with sauce and salad" Ino said.

"And some spaghetti, those noodles with tomato sauce" Sakura added.

"Another serving of bread too"

"And some French fries as well!"

"Alright, you'll have your food in a moment" The waitress said, her voice sickeningly cute. Less than five minutes later, there next helping of food arrived. Sakura felt herself grow hungry again.

"Enjoy!" The waitress said.

Ino and Sakura began to eat again. Sakura tore into her pork, sauce dripped down her face. Her stomach growled as she consumed the food with rabid abandon. She couldn't shovel it in fast enough. It was almost painful how her stomach pined for sustainment.

Within moments the pork was gone. Sakura began to slurp up the spaghetti next. The pasta was light and buttery, the tomato sauce adding a wonderful tang.

As Sakura ate, she glanced at Ino. Ino's pace seemed to slow; her chewing seemed more forced than before. She looked up to meet Sakura's stare, her eyes burned with new intensity. She started eating quickly again, shoving large handfuls of fries into her mouth.

_Ino's still hungry as well. I wonder if I can keep up…_

Sakura patted her stomach; she didn't feel the least bit full.

So they continued to eat.

* * *

Shikamaru watched from his small table in the corner. He watched as both girls polished off plate after plate of food. He swallowed, it was an interesting sight; both intriguing and disgusting at the same time. He glanced over at Ino, seeing that her pants were beginning to rip. His heart fluttered at the thought that he'd be able to see Ino's panties.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

Shikamaru jumped, the waitress's voice startling him. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?" he asked quickly.

"You haven't touched your soup. Is there something wrong with it?"

Shikamaru glanced down at the small bowl of miso broth he had ordered. He hadn't eaten it yet, having been far too distracted.

"Oh, its fine. Yeah, real good" He took a quick sip. "Um…could I get…sea…cucumber please?"

"Oh, excellent choice sir. I'll have it for you right away".

Shikamaru slapped his forehead as the waitress walked off. In his impatience, he had ordered the most expensive aperitif the restaurant offered.

"Eugh…what a pain" he said.

* * *

Two more courses of food passed by.

Plates stacked high with piping hot cuisine were emptied, rich foods were devoured, and litres of tea, juice and soda were guzzled. It seemed like there was no end in sight. Whenever Ino began to finish, Sakura was already ready for more. Nothing seemed to satisfy her.

Ino felt bloated. She had eaten almost twice what her body felt it could hold. The skin around her stomach felt taut, like an over inflated balloon. She unbuttoned her pants completely, her beltline too tight to accommodate her expanded belly.

Ino swallowed the last mouthful of food of their fourth course. She gazed over at Sakura, who smiled back at her. Ino forced a smile, cursing her. How could she still not be full? It's like she's a bottomless pit!

Then she noticed Sakura's eyes. They were beginning to glaze over, her eyelids began to droop.

Ino's smile suddenly became genuine.

_Sakura's getting tired! Now's my chance!_

"Oh, Sakura-chan. That was very good, don't you think?" She said sweetly.

Sakura slowly responded. "Yes, I think I've got a little more room left though".

"Fantastic! I was just thinking it was about time for some desert. How does ice cream sound?"

Sakura hiccupped, "Wonderful! Ice cream would really hit the spot right about now".

As if on cue, the waitress appeared to take their order once again. "Would either of you like anything off of our dessert menu?" Her sweet, cute voice chirped.

"We'd like some ice cream please" Ino said.

"Ah, we have a special tonight. Would you like to try our newest ice cream dish?"

"Is it big?" Sakura asked stupidly.

"Oh, it's fairly big, yes, how about it?"

"We'll have two please" Ino said.

The waitress walked away. "Oh, you'll only need one" She said, giggling as she went.

"What did she say?" Sakura asked.

Ino shrugged. She began to rub her tummy, trying to alleve the tightness and make more room. Her stomach gurgled, as if to say 'more food?! Are you crazy?! I'm about to burst!'.

It was now quite late in the evening. Most of the couples had left, as well as about half of the men at the bar. Ino hoped her parents wouldn't discover she'd left.

The waitress returned with two others, they were carrying a large dish the size of a small bathtub. Ino realized that the waitress had been right;

They really did only need just one.

The ice cream dessert was gigantic. It was a giant mass of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, with mounds of toppings. It stood almost as tall as a young child. The three waitresses brought the heavy looking dish down on their table with a loud PLOP! They moved back, the two new ones began to giggle.

"This is our latest confectionary creation. It's three litres of different flavoured ice cream, topped with hot fudge, caramel, chopped nuts and _lots _of whipped topping made from the finest cream,"

"Bon appetite" the black haired one said as they turned and walked away.

They left two spoons behind along with the massive dessert.

Not to be outdone by her curvaceous adversary, Ino stared eating first. She snatched up her spoon and dug into the mountain of ice cream. She pulled away a heaping spoonful of vanilla with fudge and whipped cream, opening her mouth wide as it went in.

Ino no longer felt the pain in her stomach. In fact, she didn't feel much at all. Nothing but the delicious and sumptuous taste of ice cream and chocolate mattered now. It tasted better than she could have ever imagined! She ate another spoonful, then another, and then another. Soon nothing was stopping her. Beating Sakura at eating didn't seem to matter anymore. Even the thought of attracting Sasuke was pushed into the back of her mind. Nothing seemed to matter except eating more ice cream.

As she gorged herself on chocolate and caramel, she noticed that Sakura must be like minded, as she was scarfing down the ice cream with the same speed and intensity as she was. Sauce and bits of nuts flecked her cheeks as Sakura shovelled spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.

The mountain of ice cream slowly receded into a tidy hill, its whipped cream eaten, its sauce melted in with the surrounding plateau of strawberry ice cream, the chopped nuts gobbled (minus the ones that now took up residence on Sakura's face). The ice cream began to melt, becoming a dipping pile of utter sweetness.

"Mmph, ssso good" Ino managed to say, her mouth stuffed with chocolate. Sakura nodded in agreement, but then her expression changed. Sakura now looked slightly bewildered, her pace slowed. A cringe appeared as she moaned in protest.

"Uunnnhh…it hurts" She mumbled, ice cream dripping out her open mouth. Sakura leaned back; sounds of wood cracking could be heard. Sakura's two chairs broke under her immense weight. She hit the floor with a deafening THWUMP! She rolled over, her makeshift dress tearing as she went, revealing a distended stomach crying in protest. Ino could actually hear the gurgling of Sakura's belly.

Ino glanced over the giant dish to see Sakura moaning on the floor, clutching her tummy.

_That's it! She's done!_

Ino smiled wide. She leaned over the ice cream so that Sakura could see her face.

"Well, well. How the mighty have f-AUGHH-llen." Her sentence punctuated by a loud belch. "I guess that's your limit. You put in a good fight, but I can still eat. Sasuke will be mine!"

Ino laughed out loud. Her moment of victory had finally arrived!

She had beaten Sakura at an eating contest, meaning that she would be the biggest gainer. She spooned the ice cream gloop into her mouth, savouring its sweet taste. She began to imagine her next meeting with Sasuke…it seemed like a dream…

"_My, Ino, You've become so big! Much larger than that Sakura"_

_Ino felt his arms wrap around her, her head spinning._

"_Will you be mine?" Sasuke asked._

"YES! Oh yes! Of course I'll be yours!" Ino shouted. She moved to stand up.

As she rose, the chair she had sat on gave out from under her.

Everything moved in slow motion. Ino could feel the chair giving way, sending her tripping forward.

She could see Sakura doubled over on the floor,

She could see someone of in the distance at another table who kind of looked like Shikamaru,

She could see her own chubby reflection…

…in the glass of the ice cream bowl, which she landed in face first with a satisfying SPLAT! Ice cream flew everywhere.

Ino found her head submerged in the partially melted dessert. She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt too heavy. Her body wouldn't move!

"Mmmph!" Ino tried to scream, but her voice was smothered by the ice cream. She couldn't get out. She gasped for air, but the sticky, sweet fluid entered instead.

Ice cream,

She just couldn't get enough ice cream.

Ino gorged herself as she felt her consciousness slip away, the world fading in a haze of pink, brown and white.

_Sasuke…kun…I _

Ino thought nothing more.

* * *

Shikamaru felt himself frozen. He couldn't move. The sight of what was happening around him seemed too crazy to comprehend.

_Ino's in trouble! Move…move!_

_MOVE!_

Shikamaru finally found his legs in motion. He ran quickly and pulled Ino's head out of the sloppy mess. He brought her down onto the ground.

"Ino?! INO?!" He shouted, shaking her.

No response.

Shikamaru's mind raced. _She's unconscious, what do I do?!_

He thought back to his training in the academy. Ikura-sensei's voice rang out, singing the praises of medical ninjas and resuscitation.

_Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation…CPR! Of course!_

Shikamaru looked down at Ino, her face covered in melted ice cream. He tensed up at the thought of him doing something like _that _to Ino.

_This is a life or death situation! Baka! Just concentrate!_

Shikamaru pushed Ino's head back, clearing her airways. He took a deep breath…

Ino's mouth tasted sweet and sticky from the dessert. He pulled his mouth away from hers, preparing for the second step.

"One, two, three" He said, pumping Ino's chest. He breathed deep and exhaled into Ino once more, his mouth upon hers. "C'mon damnit! Breath!" he shouted, he pumped on her chest again.

Suddenly Ino spluttered, coughing up congealed ice cream mess onto Shikamaru's body. She wheezed and gasped for air.  
Shikamaru cradled her head, "Ino, daijoubu?"

Her eyes opened slightly, she felt weak. Her mouth caked with slime, she tried to speak.

"Sa…suke…kun?" She spluttered.

Shikamaru's head spun.

Even after all that Sasuke had put her through, even when she undertook a stupid and impossible task of gaining weight, simply because Sasuke said he liked chubby girls, even after she endured a self induced form of torture by stuffing herself until she was ready to pop, she still hoped Sasuke would be there for her.

_But Sasuke hadn't done this to her…I did._

Guilt overtook Shikamaru. His stupid prank had done something he felt couldn't happen: It put Ino in danger.

Even with his new feelings for her, he couldn't let it continue.

Not after this.

"Sasu…ke-kun?" Ino mumbled again.

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah Ino…It's Sasuke…" He said pitifully. "Sasuke's here…"

Ino fell asleep in his arms shortly after. He then checked on Sakura. She had passed out as well, probably from exhaustion he thought. He slowly got up and went to look for someone to help him.

No one was around.

The restaurant was deserted.


End file.
